The Peppermint OS team has released a new build of its Devuan edition, now based on Devuan 6 Excalibur. Devuan is a fork of Debian 13 Trixie that drops systemd, so this Peppermint variant inherits that approach: the same software and the same base as the project’s Debian branch, minus the init system that draws so much debate.
The main difference from the Debian edition is practical. Applications that strictly rely on systemd are not available here. In exchange, the installer lets you pick from three init systems during setup: SysVinit, OpenRC and runit. That choice is the whole point of the Devuan branch, and it sits right in the installer.
What’s in this release
The default desktop is Xfce 4.20, light and configurable, which fits Peppermint’s habit of not loading the system with services you don’t need. Underneath runs the Linux 6.12 LTS kernel, a long-term support series that gives you a long stretch of stability and hardware compatibility.
The Calamares installer has moved to Qt 6, modernizing the install interface. When partitioning, you can format with Btrfs, EXT4 or XFS, so there’s room to set up the system the way you prefer, whether you want Btrfs snapshots or plain EXT4. You start the install by booting the image, opening the Menu and typing “install” to reach the install icon.
Another change is package source handling: Peppermint OS Devuan adopts the modern Deb822 format for repositories instead of the old single-line sources.list. That follows the same path other Debian derivatives have taken.
On drivers, this build adds extra firmware and controllers to cover more hardware. The project ships AMD GPU drivers (amdgpu, ati), Intel video drivers, and wireless driver and firmware packages, after early builds drew community feedback about missing firmware. The Brave browser is available as one of the included applications.
Who it’s for
This edition suits anyone who wants a Debian base without systemd and a light desktop that runs well on modest machines. If you come from Peppermint’s Debian branch and care about SysVinit, OpenRC or runit, you get them here through a graphical installer that lets you choose without editing config files by hand. It’s also a sensible pick for reviving older hardware, given the small footprint of Xfce 4.20 and the LTS kernel.
If you have no specific reason to avoid systemd, you’ll probably be just as comfortable with the standard Debian edition of Peppermint. The appeal of this release is exactly that init freedom and the Devuan base behind it.