Linux From Scratch 13.0 Drops SysVinit, Goes Full Systemd — Here’s What’s New

In a move that’s sending ripples through the DIY Linux community, the Linux From Scratch (LFS) project has officially released version 13.0 — and it’s making a bold statement. For the first time in its history, LFS is now available exclusively as a systemd edition, marking the end of support for the traditional SysVinit boot system.

This decision, while controversial among purists, reflects the growing dominance of systemd in the Linux ecosystem. The maintainers cited the need to simplify maintenance and align with modern software that increasingly assumes systemd as a baseline. In other words: if you want to build your own Linux from scratch, you’re now building it the way most major distributions do.

What’s Under the Hood?

LFS 13.0 isn’t just about init systems — it’s a full-stack upgrade. The base system now includes:

• binutils 2.46 — The essential binary tools suite gets a refresh.
• glibc 2.42 — The GNU C Library, the backbone of most Linux systems.
• Linux kernel 6.18.10 LTS — A stable, long-term support kernel ensuring compatibility and security.
• 36 updated packages — A significant number of core components have been refreshed since the last stable release.

Security was also a priority. Over 100 commits have been applied to the LFS book since the last stable version, with security patches rolled out to critical packages like coreutils, expat, Perl, Python, systemd, xz, and Vim.

Beyond Linux From Scratch 13.0: The Full Desktop Experience

If you’re looking to go beyond a minimal system, the Beyond Linux From Scratch (BLFS) 13.0 book is also out now. This companion guide takes the base LFS system and transforms it into a fully functional desktop environment.

With BLFS 13.0, you can install:

• Desktop environments: GNOME, KDE Plasma, XFCE, LXQt
• Applications: Web browsers (Firefox, Chromium), email clients, office suites (LibreOffice), media tools, and more

It’s essentially the “what to install next” manual for your freshly built LFS system — and now it’s fully aligned with the systemd-only LFS 13.0.

Why This Matters

For longtime LFS users, the shift to systemd-only may feel like a loss of choice. SysVinit has been a staple of Linux for decades, and some argue it offers more transparency and control. However, the reality is that systemd has become the de facto standard, and maintaining dual init system support was becoming a burden for the project’s small team.

The move also signals a broader trend in the Linux world: the convergence toward systemd as the universal init system. Even traditionally SysVinit-friendly distributions are moving in this direction.

Get Started

If you’re ready to dive in, you can grab the latest books from the official Linux From Scratch website:

• LFS 13.0: https://www.linuxfromscratch.org
• BLFS 13.0: https://linuxfromscratch.org/blfs/view/13.0-systemd/

For the full technical details, check out the official release announcement on the LFS mailing list.

Tags: Linux From Scratch, LFS 13.0, systemd, SysVinit, Linux DIY, open source, kernel 6.18.10, binutils, glibc, BLFS 13.0, Linux development, system building

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