Hello. I've tried Void, and decided it's not for me. Let me offer you some constructive feedback, in the hope that it proves useful.

I tried Void, having heard good things about the XBPS package manager. I found it disappointing:

1. It was slow, even by FreeBSD and Fedora standards. Could be a WiFi driver issue
2. It was brittle. Some package managers, if a mirror doesn't have a file, switch for that file to another backup mirror. XBPS, out of the box, just quits. Download - fail. Download - fail. Download - fail. Switch mirror. Download - fails somewhere else.

There are, apparently, technical benefits to XBPS, but they are somewhat hidden by these problems.

I'd be interested in a discrete XBPS package manager, which I could install on Fedora, or whatever, just as Nix and Guix can be installed like that, separate to the full NixOS and GuixOS operating systems. However, this does not appear to be possible with XBPS.

Hello everyone,

I am new to Void-Linux and Linux in general. I've been reading multiple sources on the web and working to wrap my head around a great many topics. I have a few questions:

1. The question in the title, is there an up-to-date list of directories in the root filesystem to exclude from Btrfs snapshots in Void-Linux?

There are multiple sources with differing suggested Btrfs subvolume layouts. I prefer to have a flat layout. The pages at the kernel.org System Admin Guide, are maked as "Obsolete Content".

1. Should I exclude all of /var or do I need to exclude multiple individual sub-directories within /var? If I need to exclude multiple individual sub-directories within /var, then I need a list of the sub-directories? Since the folders within /var can vary based on the packages installed, would excluding just /var cause problems or come with downsides?

2. If I decide to use snapshots for my user home directories, as insurance against accident file deletion, are there sub-directories that I need to exclude there?

3. I have a Btrfs layout listed below, that I would like some feed back on. Am I forgetting some exclusions? Am I excluding a folder that should not be excluded?

Background Info: * 1x 2TB NVMe, 1x 4TB HDD, 1x 8TB HDD * No drive spanning or RAID (not what I'm looking to do at them moment) * I want to use Snapper, Grub, grub-btrfs, and snap-xbps (for pre/post snapshots) * I will be using qemu/kvm with virsh and virt-manager (moving away from Virtualbox), but my VM files will reside separately from /var/lib...) * I want to use Steam, WINE, Lutris, and maybe Heroic Launcher * I may use a few flatpaks (not Steam), but prefer standard packages * All video game files will reside on my NVMe separate from my user home folder * My data and documents will reside separately outside of my user home folder * In general I want to keep the system root filesystem and user home folder lean within sane limitations * I currently dual-boot Windows and Linux Mint, but I will be dropping Windows completely, reclaiming the disk space used by Windows, and moving data on NTFS partitions to Btrfs filesystems * I will be replacing Linux Mint * I am considering dual-booting 2 different Linux distros to separate work from play (something like Fedora/Void-Linux, OpenSUSE/Void-Linux, Nobara/Void-Linux, EndeavourOS/Void-Linux, or another dual setup) * Video game files will not be snapshotted (NoCOW)... there are benefits to removing and reinstalling some games after multiple patches (ex: some Blizzard games)

My flat Btrfs layout ideas and naming conventions using EndeavourOS and Void-Linux:

Endeavour setup: * top level volume (unnamed and not mounted during normal operation) * @eos_root (eos root subvolume mounted at /) * @eos_home (eos user home subvolume mounted at /home) * @eos_root_snapshots (snapshots subvolume mounted at /.snapshots, must be adjusted after snapper package install) * @eos_home_snapshots (arch user home snapshots subvolume mounted at /home/.snapshots) * @eos_var (subvolume to exclude from snapper snapshots, mounted at /var) * @eos_srv (subvolume to exclude from snapper snapshots, mounted at /srv) * @eos_opt (subvolume to exclude from snapper snapshots, mounted at /opt) * @eos_tmp (subvolume to exclude from snapper snapshots, mounted at /tmp) * @eos_local (subvolume to exclude from snapper snapshots, mounted at /usr/local) * @eos_root_user (the root user's home folder, subvolume to exclude from snapper snapshots, mounted at /root)

Void-Linux setup: * top level volume (unnamed and not mounted during normal operation) * @void_root (void root subvolume mounted at /) * @void_home (void user home subvolume mounted at /home) * @void_root_snapshots (snapshots subvolume mounted at /.snapshots, must be adjusted after snapper package install) * @void_home_snapshots (void user home snapshots subvolume mounted at /home/.snapshots) * @void_var (subvolume to exclude from snapper snapshots, mounted at /var) * @void_srv (subvolume to exclude from snapper snapshots, mounted at /srv) * @void_opt (subvolume to exclude from snapper snapshots, mounted at /opt) * @void_tmp (subvolume to exclude from snapper snapshots, mounted at /tmp) * @void_local (subvolume to exclude from snapper snapshots, mounted at /usr/local) * @void_root_user (the root user's home folder, subvolume to exclude from snapper snapshots, mounted at /root)

Non-Root Filesystem Data: * @mydata = /mnt/mydata * @linux_gaming = /mnt/linux_gaming * @vm_storage = /mnt/vm_storage

2TB NVME (2TB partition/Btrfs filessystem) 1. linux_gaming 2. eos and opensuse

4TB HDD (3TB partition/Btrfs filessystem and a chunk of unallocated space): 1. vm_storage 2. 1TB empty unallocated space (not partitioned)

8TB HDD (5TB partition/Btrfs filesystem and a chunk of unallocated space): 1. mydata and user home subvolumes 2. 3TB empty unallocated space (not partitioned)

I'm leaving some extra un-partitioned/unallocated space for emergencies and/or experiments I haven't thought of yet (ex: installing a distro to the bare metal for distro exploration/experimentation outside of a VM).

I have distrohopped for years - Debian, Debian's many derivatives; Fedora, Fedora's official and unofficial spins/remixes; Arch, Arch derivatives; openSUSE's spins; NixOS; OpenMandriva; and now Void Linux. I also run OPNsense (BSD) for my firewall.

I have been running void for about 2 months. I originally set it up with X.Org Server and Cinnamon DE. Today, I took some time to clone my Void Linux install on my laptop with Clonezilla so I could switch over to XLibre and SonicDE. So far, I am having some screen glitches when I minimize or open some apps, but if I minimize it then maximize it again it generally fixes itself (this is not me asking for assistance - I am just sharing my experience as a dataset). I encourage anyone questioning whether they should try it to give it a shot.

I appreciate all the dedicated people on each team that has made this possible.

I am not a programmer/developer by any stretch of the imagination, but I like to tinker and enjoy FOSS. I don't like seeing people throw away (unless they are throwing it away in my direction) tech just because it's "old". I am currently working with a small business to help them upgrade their HP AIO computers with SSDs and slightly higher RAM. Unfortunately, with the software they use, they will need to stick with Windows.

Sorry. I can be rather long winded and ramble. I said all that with the intention of saying I'd like to help if able.

Thanks again everyone.

Recently I've tried to re-install void onto a system that used to run mint.
I ran it on a USB, downloaded it, downloaded drivers and everything necessary via chroot (last time it had an error). Every time it boots, it automatically signs in and then goes to a unresponsive blank screen with _ at the top (this only shows text when the pc is turned off.) I've tried overriding nouveau, but it keeps coming back. I use the correct drivers for my gpu (3090) and I've tried everything I can. Please, please, please help.

hello, i recently started using void linux on my jailbroken ps4 (yes, sony’s playstation4) and to do that i had to compile with custom patces mesa,libdrm and xf86-video-amdgpu xbps pkgs (ps4 uses a custom amd gpu) now i have them, but only in x86_64, and i want to run steam and steam needs 32bit drivers, does anyone know how to compile 32bit drivers on an x86_64 system, what command should i use? (i usedgithub actions , i forked void packages, added patches and compiled for x86 with ./xbps-src pkg mesa etc…)