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ZDNET key takeaways

• Vendefoul Wolf is a Linux distro with an old-school twist.
• You get SysVinit and XLibre, and a bare-bones list of apps.
• Vendefoul Wolf can be downloaded and installed for free.

From the beginning, Linux hasn't played by the rules. Over the years, there have been distributions that took that ideology even further and broke from what others were doing.

One example is when systemd became the de facto standard init system for Linux. That change irked many developers, who then created alternative distributions that used a different system. Even the windowing system saw a bit of rebellion when it became obvious that Wayland was the future. In other words, there were alternatives to the alternatives.

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That situation is the case with Vendefoul Wolf. Not only is the name different, but the distribution follows the beat of a different drummer.

Vendefoul Wolf is based on Devuan, which is a fork of Debian. Think of this system as a lightweight version of Debian.

How is Vendefoul Wolf different?

First off, this distribution shuns systemd in favor of SysVinit. The key difference between the two systems is that SysVinit defaults to a sequential execution model for service start, based on runlevels, and SystemD opts for parallel service startup and manages each service via unit files. 

Most believe SystemD is a vast improvement over SysVinit because it's easier to manage and faster. The appeal of SysVinit is its simplicity. SysVinit is also considerably older than SystemD, with its origins dating back to the 1980s.

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Another big difference is the X server. Venedfoul Worlf is the first distribution to default to the XLibre Graphics Server. XLibre is a community-managed display server for X11. The goal of XLibre is to keep X going while improving it and making it future-proof.

Those two differences alone set Vendefoul Wolf Linux apart from most distributions. Vendefoul also focuses on privacy, so there's no telemetry, and the highly secure LibreWolf is the default web browser. 

My experience with Vendefoul Wolf

It all begins with the installation. I downloaded the SonicDE version (a project aimed at keeping KDE Plasma working with X11) of the distribution, but it constantly failed to install. After several tries, I decided to try the Budgie version. I've always been a fan of Budgie, so I figured, "Why not?"

Fortunately, the Budgie version of Vendefoul installed without a hiccup. I did discover that the Budgie version didn't include everything listed on the website. For example, there was no KeePassXC, the cache cleaner, or init changer.

I discovered the kernel manager, Aconita. The default kernel shipped with Vendefoul Wolf is 6.18.2-vendefoul. Using the kernel manager, I could easily install the 7.1.1-vendefoul kernel. I always appreciate a GUI kernel manager because it puts me in the driver's seat of the foundation of a distribution.

Vendefoul Wolf does ship with a bare-bones list of software. There's no LibreOffice, no email client, and no modern app store (you get Synaptic on the Budgie version). 

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Another oddity was the lack of a universal package manager (such as Flatpak). Oddly enough, there's the flatpak-config command, but not flatpak itself. I installed Flatpak via Synaptic, which made the process quite simple.

I was also a bit disappointed with the aesthetic. The Budgie desktop can look gorgeous, but on Vendefoul, it's fairly pedestrian. And (of course) it defaulted to a dark theme. I don't get why so many distributions prefer dark themes, but thankfully Budgie makes it easy to switch to lighter fare. 

Sadly, it does seem that the Budgie of today isn't exactly the Budgie of yesterday. For example, if you switch the panel to dock mode, you get square corners (like Xfce). To get rounded corners, you have to edit CSS rules. 

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However, I did enjoy my time with Vendefoul Wolf. Although I prefer SystemD and Wayland, I did find this distribution to perform very well; it boots quickly (especially with the 7.1.1 kernel), apps open almost immediately, and it feels quite stable. 

In the end, I found Vendefoul Wolf to be a terrific throwback to old-school Linux. Often reminding me of my earlier days with the open-source operating system, I did smile quite a bit while using this distribution.

Who is Vendefoul Wolf for?

Simply put, Vendefoul Wolf is for people who aren't interested in following trends and want a Linux distribution that's fast, lightweight, and stable. If you don't mind learning a different window server and init system, Vendefoul Wolf should be quite appealing. 

If you have an aging computer lying around and you want to give it new life, you can't go wrong with Vendefoul Wolf.