FSF Publish New List Of Truly Free Linux Distributions
Whoever thought that Debian, Ubuntu or Fedora consist solely of free software would be wrong. The new list compiled by the Free Software Foundation showing truly free distributions has a mere nine entries.
Amongst the distributions classified by the Foundation as genuinely free are not the big names that most of us would expect to find. Top of the list is the FSF sponsored gNewSense, a derivative of Debian and Ubuntu, that uses 100% free software. In the latest release, gNewSense 2.3, the developers have, for example, removed the mono programs Tomboy and F-Spot and replaced them with gNotes and gThumb.
Also included on the list are Ututo, Dragora, Dynebolic, Musix GNU+Linux, BLAG, Trisquel, Venenux and Kongoni, the South African distro that finds itself on the list of totally free software for the first time.
Comments
comments powered by DisqusSubscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Akamai Will Host kernel.org
The organization dedicated to cloud-based solutions has agreed to host kernel.org to deliver long-term stability for the development team.
-
Linux Kernel 6.14 Released
The latest Linux kernel has arrived with extra Rust support and more.
-
EndeavorOS Mercury Neo Available
A new release from the EndeavorOS team ships with Plasma 6.3 and other goodies.
-
Fedora 42 Beta Has Arrived
The Fedora Project has announced the availability of the first beta release for version 42 of the open-source distribution.
-
Dash to Panel Maintainer Quits
Charles Gagnon has stepped away as maintainer of the popular Dash to Panel Gnome extension.
-
CIQ Releases Security-Hardened Version of Rocky Linux
If you're looking for an enterprise-grade Linux distribution that is hardened for business use, there's a new version of Rocky Linux that's sure to make you and your company happy.
-
Gnome’s Dash to Panel Extension Gets a Massive Update
If you're a fan of the Gnome Dash to Panel extension, you'll be thrilled to hear that a new version has been released with a dock mode.
-
Blender App Makes it to the Big Screen
The animated film "Flow" won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature at the 97th Academy Awards held on March 2, 2025 and Blender was a part of it.
-
Linux Mint Retools the Cinnamon App Launcher
The developers of Linux Mint are working on an improved Cinnamon App Launcher with a better, more accessible UI.
-
New Linux Tool for Security Issues
Seal Security is launching a new solution to automate fixing Linux vulnerabilities.
main
Is less really more?
I'd rather see a distribution that makes it easy to choose whether you want it to be 100% free, something like Gentoo's glep 23: http://www.gentoo.org/proj/en/glep/glep-0023.html
It was not implemented yet last time I checked.
Or give us at least some kind of warning when you want to install proprietary software.
I really do want to be able to choose what I install on my box and not delegate that choice to integrists even though I am very close to being an integrist myself, but the difference is that I apply my integrism on myself alone and not onto others.
Momo
Why the mono bashing
Not quite...
RE: Pointless
Wouldn't hardware compatibility just be (largely) dependant on what kernel version said distro runs, too?
Pointless