Devuan is a [GNU](gnu.md)/[Linux](linux.md) [distribution](distro.md) that's practically ideantical to [Debian](debian.md) (it is its [fork](fork.md)) but without [systemd](systemd.md) as well as without packages that depend on the systemd [malware](malware.md). Devuan offers a choice of several [init systems](init_system.md), e.g. [openrc](openrc.md), [sysvinit](sysvinit.md) and [runit](runit.md). It was first released in 2017.
Notice how *Devuan* rhymes less with *lesbian* than *Debian*.
Despite some flaws (such as being [Linux](linux.md) with all the [bloat](bloat.md) and proprietary blobs), Devuan is still one of the best [operating systems](os.md) for most people and it is at this time recommended by [us](us.md) over most other [distros](distro.md) not just for avoiding systemd, but mainly for its adoption of Debian [free software](free_software.md) definition that requires software to be free as a whole, including its data (i.e. respecting also [free culture](free_culture.md)). It is also a nicely working [unix](unix.md) system that's easy to install and which is still relatively unbloated.
{ I can recommend Devuan, I've been using it as my main OS for several years. NOTE: some people told me Devuan is impure because it's still kinda bloated and recommends bloated stuff like Firefox etc., they recommended e.g. Dragora and Hyperbola -- this is absolutely true, **basically nothing ideal exists at the moment**, and any software recommendation always comes with the danger of it becoming shit over time, always keep that in mind; really recommending any software at this point comes down to discussing what's least shit, what [suckles the least](suckless.md) and also putting a a lot of weight on subjective factors. Also distros don't matter basically, they are all shit, just choose something that doesn't stand too much in the way of your creation and accept that it sucks. If you are skilled you can set up a much better Unix than Debian, Debian is a recommendation for a user who wants a good balance between "close to LRS" and "[just werks](just_werks.md)"; if you are skilled enough to set up a close to ideal system you probably don't need my recommendation on a distro, you can find it yourself. ~drummyfish }
