Void Linux 20250202: new stable image with expanded ARM64 support

The Void Linux project released its new stable image set on February 2, 2025, tagged 20250202 and nicknamed the “Arm64 Extravaganza”. Void is a rolling-release distribution, so it skips traditional version numbers: each release is named with a date in YYYYMMDD format, and this is the most recent stable image you can grab for a fresh install.

Highlights

• Linux kernel 6.12 in the live ISOs (and 6.6.69 in the Raspberry Pi images), with better support for modern hardware.
• Xfce 4.20 in the Xfce-flavored ISOs, the latest major update of the desktop environment.
• Expanded ARM64 UEFI support: the generic aarch64 and aarch64-musl ISOs now boot on machines like Apple Silicon Macs, the Lenovo ThinkPad X13s and the Pinebook Pro.
• Nvidia fix: systems with Nvidia graphics cards no longer fail to boot without nomodeset, and a bootloader menu entry was added to disable graphics.
• New xgenfstab tool in xtools to generate the fstab file with less hassle during installation.
• void-installer improvements: it now shows a post-installation menu to enable services on the freshly installed system.

The Raspberry Pi images also bring automatic root-partition expansion via growpart and support for the new Raspberry Pi 500 and CM5. Firmware from linux-firmware now ships compressed with zstd, which trims the installation size.

What is Void Linux

Void Linux is an independent distribution, built from scratch and not derived from any other. What sets it apart is its runit init system instead of systemd and its own package manager, XBPS. You can run it with either the glibc C library or the lightweight musl alternative, and it supports x86_64, i686, aarch64, armv7l and armv6l. It’s a great pick if you want a lightweight, minimalist system with full control over its components, well suited to advanced users, modest machines and ARM devices.

Find all the details on its page at [/en/void-linux].

Source

Void Linux — February 2025 Image Release: Arm64 Extravaganza