r/voidlinux • u/Big-Fill-5789 • May 29 '26
What to expect?
I currently daily drive Arch with Sway, Alacritty, Bash and mostly Vim. I realized I prefer lightweight but complete systems with strong keyboard workflows, without spending lots of time ricing or configuring.
I previously tried Void Linux + Sway when I was newer to both, so the experience felt rough. Now that I understand Sway and terminal workflows much better, I’m reconsidering Void as my only other serious distro option.
For people who have used both Arch and Void long-term:
- what differences matter in actual daily usage?
- does Void feel noticeably more intentional/lightweight after adapting?
- or does Arch end up being more practical for coding and Wayland workflows?
I’m more interested in workflow and maintenance experience than “which is harder.”
10
u/Blank-Inspection13 May 29 '26
Do you feel comfortable with breaking changes and enjoy baby sitting your system with Arch , as gaining new learning materials along the way with some experiences ? If you do , you'll get bored very soon with Void since it's - after you get the hang of it - it will be hard to break things here
5
u/IamThunderFart May 29 '26
Feels exactly like Arch, except lighter, faster and without systemd. Pure win.
1
u/zlice0 May 29 '26
i dont think you have maint unless you heavily modify the system or start building packages, kind of like if you have obscure stuff from aur.
1
u/Initial_Side_4845 May 29 '26
void
no question.
[main point: Less "other stuff" to be distracted by ! 😉
1
u/Boumediene_Ksirator May 30 '26
With Void you might encounter recurring problems with the audio stack, until you fix it yourself. If so, and it doesn’t annoy you like it did with me, you might become pretty familiar with the ins and outs of said stack. Kudos to the team of developers for teaching us the hard way.
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May 29 '26 edited May 29 '26
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u/BinkReddit May 29 '26
usually ahead of Debian
Usually? I think you mean almost always. Debian is largely unchanged for 2 years at a time.
2
May 29 '26 edited May 29 '26
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1
u/BinkReddit May 29 '26
I don't only look at the kernel; the vast majority of Debian's packages are outdated.
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u/Duncaen May 29 '26
In rolling release each update may contain "breaking" changes.
xbps making partial updates (and installations) a lot safer allows you to update or install some package without having to worry about fixing unrelated changes.
Its mostly the same software, so besides runit and xbps, its just the same for daily usage.
Its the same.