Libre or Optionally Libre Distros¶

Guix¶

• GNU Guix: Has a strict libre software policy. Currently in very early stages of development; it focuses on being easily hackable. Developer’s note: “GuixSD is an advanced distribution of the GNU operating system developed by the GNU Project —which respects the freedom of computer users. The GNU Guix package manager, in addition to standard package management features, supports transactional upgrades and roll-backs, unprivileged package management, per-user profiles, and more. It provides Guile Scheme APIs, including high-level embedded domain-specific languages (EDSLs) to define packages and whole-system configurations.”

Arch¶

• Parabola: Uses the AUR and it’s own core distro, so it is practically 100% libre software. Developer’s note: “The Parabola project is a community driven effort to provide a fully Free (as in freedom) operating system that is simple and lightweight. Derived from Arch (the GNU/Linux distribution), Parabola provides packages from it that meet the Free System Distribution Guidelines (FSDG) and replacements for the packages that don’t meet this requirement. Packages are provided for the i686, x86_64, and armv7h architectures.”
• Chakra: Has no libre software policy, but provides the option of disabling proprietary programs during the install, and drivers during the boot. Fully forked from Arch. Developer’s note: “Chakra is a GNU/Linux distribution with an emphasis on KDE and Qt technologies that focuses on simplicity from a technical standpoint and free software. With our half-rolling release model we provide a thoroughly tested core layer of software – such as the Linux kernel, GNU coreutils and common libraries – while the software in the applications layer is updated more frequently. The Chakra developers are a handful of avid hackers from all around the world whom have come together, sharing a fondness for the elegance of the Plasma Workspaces and a desire to create and share useful software for everyone to enjoy.”

Debian¶

• Debian: Has a libre software policy, but distributes proprietary software in external repositories not included by default. Developer’s note: “Debian is a free operating system (OS) for your computer. An operating system is the set of basic programs and utilities that make your computer run. Debian provides more than a pure OS: it comes with over 43000 packages, precompiled software bundled up in a nice format for easy installation on your machine.”
• Trisquel: Has a libre software policy. Uses repositories in sync with Debian/Ubuntu to provide lots of packages. Based on Ubuntu. Developer’s note: “Trisquel GNU/Linux is a fully free operating system for home users, small enterprises and educational centers.”

Fedora/Red Hat¶

• BLAG: Dormant; uses the Fedora app repositories and Freedora kernel repos. Strict libre software policies. Developer’s note: “The Brixton Linux Action Groupworks to overthrow corporate control of information and technology through community action and spreading Free Software. BLAG Linux and GNU is an operating system. BLAG has a suite of graphics, internet, audio, video, office, and peer to peer file sharing applications. You can replace a Windows installation with blag. If you would like to install and run BLAG, download and burn it to cd.”

Proprietary Distros¶

Debian¶

• Linux Mint: Distributes proprietary programs. Based on Ubuntu. Developer’s note: “The purpose of Linux Mint is to produce a modern, elegant and comfortable operating system which is both powerful and easy to use. Linux Mint is the most popular desktop Linux distribution and the 3rd most widely used home operating system behind Microsoft Windows and Apple Mac OS. It works out of the box, with full multimedia support and is extremely easy to use. It’s both free of cost and open source. It’s community-driven. Users are encouraged to send feedback to the project so that their ideas can be used to improve Linux Mint. Based on Debian and Ubuntu, it provides about 30,000 packages and one of the best software managers. It’s safe and reliable. Thanks to a conservative approach to software updates, a unique Update Manager and the robustness of its Linux architecture, Linux Mint requires very little maintenance (no regressions, no antivirus, no anti-spyware…etc).”

Fedora/Red Hat¶

• Fedora: Has a policy for libre apps, but accepts proprietary libraries and firmware. Developer’s note: “Less setup, more innovation. Choose a flavor of Fedora streamlined for your needs, and get to work right away. Fedora Workstation is a polished, easy to use operating system for laptop and desktop computers, with a complete set of tools for developers and makers of all kinds. Fedora Server is a powerful, flexible operating system that includes the best and latest datacenter technologies. It puts you in control of all your infrastructure and services. Fedora Cloud provides a minimal image of Fedora for use in public and private cloud environments. It includes just the bare essentials making it very light on resources, but you get enough to run your cloud application.”
• CentOS: Contains proprietary firmware. Enterprise distro. Developer’s note: “The CentOS Project is a community-driven free software effort focused on delivering a robust open source ecosystem. For users, we offer a consistent manageable platform that suits a wide variety of deployments. For open source communities, we offer a solid, predictable base to build upon, along with extensive resources to build, test, release, and maintain their code. We’re also expanding the availability of CentOS images across a number of vendors, providing official images for Amazon, Google, and more. For self-hosted cloud, we also provide a generic cloud-init enabled image. For more information about updates and improvements in CentOS 7, please check out the release notes or the release announcement in the mailing list archive.”
  h2. Arch
  *Arch: Contains proprietary firmware. Focuses on simplicity.
  *Manjaro