Following the Devuan 6.1 Excalibur release, project images now support Raspberry Pi 2-5, with a reviewer testing strong performance on the Pi 5. This systemd-free Debian fork boots quickly, offers customization via a new menu-config tool, and requires manual GUI setup for desktop use.
A recent review of Devuan 6.1 'Excalibur'—the latest systemd-free fork of Debian 13 'Trixie'—highlights its Raspberry Pi images, available since the January 1, 2026, minor update to Devuan 6.0. Powered by Linux 6.12 LTS, these images target Pi models 2 through 5, with optimal compatibility on recent versions like Excalibur 6.1 and Daedalus 5.0 for Pi 4/5.
The system boots rapidly on the Raspberry Pi 5, earning praise as 'fast, clean, and flexible.' Devuan ships without a graphical environment, appealing to DIY users. A new menu-config utility streamlines setup from console or terminal, handling network, hostname, locales, timezone, console font, keymap, CPU governor, users, passwords, keyboard layout, and Pi-specific options.
For GUI, the reviewer added Xfce with Xorg and LightDM for seamless graphical boot; alternatives like SDDM or SliM work too. This complements the general Excalibur release's refinements, including Pi support expansions.
Ideal for Pi enthusiasts valuing Debian stability without systemd, images are downloadable from devuan.org. Part of the Devuan 6.1 Excalibur series.
