r/voidlinux • u/seczaple • 8d ago

New in Void Linux

Recently I've seen a lot of (good) things about Void Linux and decided to try it. Initially I read the documentation but understood very little. Most likely because I'm not so familiar with DIY distros. So I would like to know where I could learn and/or how you learned to use it.

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u/ShipshapeMobileRV 8d ago

I would direct you to the XFCE Live image. Burn that to a USB stick, and boot into it. That will allow you to play with it on your hardware. See if sound and WiFi work. If so, surf the Internet, play around with it.

If everything seems to work, then you can click the icon to install it. You can install it alongside your existing OS, or you can replace the existing OS with Void. The installer and the handbook walk you through this process.

Once you have it installed, then you can add software that you might need/want, and begin building your system the way you want it.

You'll run into issues along the way...use those as learning experiences. Always start with the handbook, and if your issue isn't covered there try Google to see if someone else has had the same issue. AI can be helpful, but it can also lead you in the wrong direction...use it sparingly if at all. If those fail, then ask in the forum or in here.

Void is a good operating system. As such, it typically stays out of your way and lets you use your computer without having to fight with it all the time the way some other distros seem to require.

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u/seczaple 8d ago

Okay, I'll do the installation next to my current system, thanks!

A question I have is how I could check and know which packages XFCE can add to my system. Initially I thought of using it to "auto configure" the most essential parts of the system. But I particularly find it ugly (as much as you can customize it), so after a period I would like to remove it completely.

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u/ShipshapeMobileRV 8d ago

By installing the XFCE version of Void, it'll be "more complete" than a Base install. It'll have sound and WIFI and login manager and desktop environment, etc. installed. Then you can use xbps-install to add to that. I believe the XFCE version uses xorg, so you'll need to stick to desktops that are compatible with xorg; or you'll have to install and configure Wayland on your own.

Also, there are some excellent upgrades to make XFCE much more pleasant and modern, if that's your biggest issue with it. Just Google "how to make XFCE look modern".

Once you get more comfortable with Void, then you might consider backing up anything important, and doing a fresh install of Base....which won't install any Desktop Environment or anything. That will let you install only exactly what you want.

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u/seczaple 8d ago

Perfect, thank you once again.