I have recently purchased the DevTerm and was informed that the system runs Debian. It also comes with preinstalled software making the system easier to use. My question to the forum is if any of the bundled programs has a SystemD (or PulseAudio) dependency, as I wish to potentially change the system from Debian to Devuan, the SystemD-free fork of Debian.
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I know that Devuan has an arm port. My question is if the prebundled software that comes as part of your custom install (I believe it is called ClockworkOS) has a SystemD dependency. If it does, I am unable to use the software without specialty changes. I also asked if the software has a PulseAudio dependency, which I also plan to remove. I may (if possible) switch to Linux-Libre, and would like to know if there is any need for Non-Free drivers.
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they apparently got wayland and some other stuff working on the gameshell. I can use old school and new school, either way, but wayland is the best thing ever. so im pretty excited. as for non-free, i highly doubt you will NEED non-free for anything in relation the the device itself. it’s fully open source. the only reason for you to touch non-free is by personal choice. as for pulse… i only see complaints about it in the forums… there is more alsa support, so say i that shouldnt be an issue either.
Anyone feel free to correct me on anything.
Hard to answer such question without having the device in hands.
Unlike the GameShell, it is likely the DevTerm will have little customisation other than what is needed for the target to run and will run a reasonably standard distro.
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Ok this is interesting because systemd and pulse audio were invented by the same person but aren’t really related. Or are they? What’s the qualm with his software 
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some folks just dont realize that it’s a choice, like everything else. PA works great with some stuff and not others. just like how fglrx used to be. if you intend to use special audio packages that prefer PA, then use PA. Never have I seen a system designed around pulse, however… that seems foolhardy
What’s the qualm with his software
For most of us who don’t like systemd it’s due to scope creep, its massive attack surface, and insistence on essentially taking over your system and forcing hard dependencies. Personally, I refuse to use anything that forces me into a dependency hell and/or makes my systems more difficult to manage. For a good writeup, see the suckless entry. More information available at nosystemd.
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Welcome @pac!
You raise some valid points. System Clock is a pretty big deal and it shouldn’t seem beyond scope to have accurate logging.
That said… this is a hobby kit… not a server or mainframe?
On a personal level… I think I would be way WAY more concerned about SD card corruption… the main board being designed to use “modules” like the CM3 and the risk that comes with using SD flash as a boot device. I;m curious, now, as to how the whole time keeping aspect would work if offline? what happens when the cells are removed, charged, and then replaced? what happens to the time on bootup if there is no network to fetch ntp thru? I have many new things to consider now that are somewhat related but still slightly off of your topic.