Welcome antiX and Noir linux to the strict list, with edition 23 antiX is fully functional and lighter than ever without a trace of elogind!

        Edited:  September 3rd 2024 (replacing older strict list)

This list is going to be short and there may be a sublist of distros with a medium strict standard.  We shall explain what the object is, below the short list (which we hope the community will assist in making longer as we have not been able to currently review the work of every distro and fork).

Summer 2024 list of “healthy” hardcore distros in alphabetical order with date/activity indicator (xxx)

1.    antiX —> antixlinux.com debian fork without systemd/elogind nearly as famous and popular as Debian itself now
2.    CarbsLinux —> carbslinux.org (Kiss fork with CPT pkg manager shinit/sinit/runit/busybox 02/2023 )
3.    Damn Small Linux DSL —> damnsmalllinux.org ( compact Linux distribution tailored for low-spec x86 computers – fluxbox jwm)
4.     Glasnost —> www.glasnost.org (Kiss fork – multi-arch tarballs 05/2022)
5.     Glaucus linux –> glaucuslinux.org (active 09/2023)
   
6.     Hyperbola Linux —> hyperbola.info A libre gnu-linux  distro like debian with pacman, or arch but stable as debian in transition to a BSD system – so it will be removed again (active 09/2023)
7.     Iglunix Linux —> https://github.com/iglunix/iglunix/releases, https://iglunix.xyz. (musl busybox no-gnu + alt kernels + wayland NoX) (active 09/2023)
8.     Joborun Linux —> http://pozol.eu Arch based w/o systemd building env runit (default) + s6/66 (optional). (active 09/2023)
9.    Kiss Linux –> kisslinux.org independent from community influence (dormant for quite some time) (neglected but still a strong base to start something new)
10.     Kwort Linux –> kwort.org  (active 09/2023)
11.     Mere Linux —> merelinux.org  (alpha project – active 1/2023 Musl + pacman  – it boots now!)
12.     NOIR linux –> github.com/noirlinux a promising kiss-linux fork with a more aumated building system (may 2023)
13.     Oasislinux –> oasislinux/oasis (active 09/2023)
14.     Obarun Linux –> obarun.org (the most extensive general use distribution that meets the criteria) (active 09/2023)
15.     PCLinuxOS —> pclinuxos.com a long term distro with wide variety of ready made sw without elogind or systemd
16.     Sabotage Linux  –> sabotage-linux  (most inspiring commitments and goals) (active 09/2023)tive 09/2023)
17.     Venom Linux —> venomlinux.org  (forked from LFS – glibc now with runit –  active 9/23)

recently removed:

1.     Superboxon Linux –> superboxon.com  Slackware  based BSD type init, no elogind,PAM (ac
2.     Mutiny linux –> mutiny.red   site vanished/down

Please keep the recommendations going, for inclusion and exclusion from the list.  We can not keep and maintain installations for all of them, we count on you.

Hardcore because they seem honest and dedicated to the war against totalitarianism by IBM and other mega corporations to dominate the Open and Free software world.

Basically, after some odd experiences with Nutyx and its full turn into systemd-dom, basic functionality of starting X , such as vte terminals, filemanagers (thunar and pcmanfm) was impossible.  Why was it impossible?  Because they REQUIRE elogind and dbus to be running in order for them to start.  So off this site any further mention of Nutyx.

If such development spreads there has to be a differentiation between distros that include such crap like elogind, for obvious and overly discussed reasons, and DO NOT make their use necessary everywhere that there is no absolute need, to make it necessary.  In other words, there seems to be a new trend from utilizing elogind to accommodate needs of upstream desktop dependencies, but some distros go out of their way to enforce the use of elogind EVERYWHERE THEY CAN! 

There is a qualitative difference between drinking socially, a cocktail, a beer or two, some wine while dining with friends and comrades, AND being a full blown alcoholic where the first thing you do when opening your eyes, is to reach next to your couch, where you slept with your shoes on, and grab the bottle of 151′ proof rum to rinse your mouth, then swallow the mouthwash.  HUGE difference!  

…..  and such madness was listed as systemd free linux on our long list!   No more, that old list will remain to reflect the wide variety of Pid1 switchers.

In light of recent development and discovery of such development, seatd comes to compliment consolekit2 to replicate the functionality of elogind.  Its use in Obarun made starting wayland and sway successful.  The same developer who wrote seatd has also written greetd, a display manager that is wayland compliant without using elogind/systemd.  So the common excuse “we use elogind for wayland” has run out, while with the last edition of ck2 (12/2020 note: there have been later updates to this one) the excuse of it being unmaintained is also fading.  People in the BSD ecosystem are contributing plenty of development for ck2.

The difference between elogind and (ck2-seatd) is size and complexity, and it is counted in multiples.  So for those who follow unix tradition of simplicity, single use, compliance with everything else, the way to go is clear.

Another proposal

What will now be a proposed as a medium strictness list?  Where distros choose to make elogind available, but not absolutely necessary for all X software.

We want to believe that all forms of adelie, antiX, alpine, and Void are still healthy, we are unsure of Artix, but we will investigate and take your recommendations and suggestions as they come.  Our last attempts to start X on artix without elogind were futile, but we may be wrong.

The screen is/will be:

Can X be started without elogind?

Can the most popular WMs start within that X session without elogind?

Can basic common terminals and file-managers start without elogind?

Can common file-managers work without automounting devices?

We can repeat this process with dbus, and there are situations where things start and run fine, even though they may throw some warning and errors for not accessing a running dbus channel, while being 90+% functional, and situations where they lose basic functionality.  Like LibreOffice has the entire prime menu bar (File Edit View … Help) missing when started without a live dbus session, while a ton of their other icon intense menu bars work.

Medium strict list:

1. adelie adelie.pkgs.org
2. alpine alpinelinux.org
3. artix artixlinux.org
4. TinyCore Linux  tinycorelinux.net  (simply amazing size and functionality – elogind is present and available but not necessarily used)
5. void voidlinux.org

Help us fill the blanks here or remove the sick ones if you have direct current experience.

Edit Dec. 30th 2020

This (Slackware & forks) was meant to be yesterday on the list, it is now removed, sadly.  It seemed to have been a nice system we neglected over the past few years.  Ever since Dec 7th 2020 it passed on the other side of one of the many distros succumbing to the pressure, biting the bait, hook, line, and sinkers.

5   Slackware  –> (Zenwalk and Slackel are currently reviewed, no elogind found anywhere, ck2    seems available – specific reviews are coming shortly – that is not to say that all slackware forks will adopt or maintain this commitment, and there are many many of them)

Spoke too soon, there is more elogind enforcement in Slackware than there is in Fedora!

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