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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).
Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.
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sysV is the init system linux distributions used before systemd, openrc, upstart, runit, smf etc. It’s pretty much the old daddy and comes from Linux unix roots. Even MacOS used it before they made their own called launchd.
S6 sounds like a update to it since the capital V in sysv stands for the Roman numeral 5.
To be exact, OpenRC was developed to be run on top of sysV init, and still can be. (Many distros had their own "on top of sysV" things, but most of them stopped being maintained as systemd became common. OpenRC started its life as Gentoo's "on top of sysV", but was then cleaned up and made distro-agnostic.)
s6 is apparently a daemontools-like process supervisor that can be run as an init or in company with some other init.
Gentoo's comparison of init systems lists Artix as the preferred service file supplier for s6 (although that may be outdated), so I expect it is or was used extensively by that distro.
That means the lack of huge software like Gnome
Been using Gentoo since Jan 2009 and one of the reasons I moved to it and never looked back was because it let me tailor "huge software" like KDE to my needs, with the aid of USE flags and sets. That's what an actual customizable distro let you to do. If you want to use "smaller software" like, say, Openbox, it won't get in your way either.
So that point of "centered around smaller software" strucks as weird to me - it goes against the "customizability" point and, ironically, the very Linux kernel is "huge software"...
Source based distros are niche enthusiast things. I can't say much about them. I like the minimal and lightweight focus though. Also I prefer runit.
I've been a decades long Gentoo user, but now I'm experimenting with NixOS as I've gotten older and value my time more. The 12+ hours of compiling when there's a chromium / QT update is no longer a badge of honor. I haven't fully converted though, Gentoo binary packages are working as an acceptable stopgap
If they get dinit i'll probably try it