Non-free distributions (GNU opinion)
According to GNU, many well-known distributions are not 100% free, and recommend the use of free distributions .
And so the translation:
We are often asked why we do not support some distributions, including popular ones. We do not support them because they do not follow the guidance of free systems . It is sometimes difficult to understand why a system does not comply with the rules of a free system. We published this list to show a few problems.
')
We have free alternatives to these systems.
All specified distributions below do not pass at least 2 important points.
The following are additional notes on some of the popular GNU / Linux distributions, which are listed in alphabetical order. We may not have indicated every problem; but we tried to show all of them, but there may be some more problems we don’t know about. On the other hand, circumstances could change after our last page refresh. If you think that some issues have been resolved here, please let us know. We study each system before approving them.
CentOS
This distribution has problems that we mentioned above.
Debian
Debian Social Contract means all software in the main distribution will be free. But in practice this is not always the case. Debian often makes exceptions for specific closed-source software, such as blobs in the kernel. We still hope that there will not be such events in the future, but we cannot close our eyes to the situation as it is today.
Debian repositories also contain proprietary software. According to the draft, this is not part of the Debian system. We understand that this is important for organizational reasons, but it is pressure on the user, that is, he has a difficult choice between open and closed software.
Fedora
Fedora has a clear policy on what can be included in the distribution, and it seems that it follows it carefully. This policy provides that most software will be available under a free license, but makes an exception for certain types of non-free software such as firmware. Unfortunately, the decision to allow the firmware to be included in the distribution keeps Fedora from being completely free.
Gentoo
Gentoo makes it easy to install a number of non-free programs through its package system.
Mandriva
Mandriva also has a policy of what can be included in the main system. It is based on the same policies as Fedora, which means that so-called firmware software can be included in the system. In addition, it allows the inclusion of software that is licensed under the “Artistic License”, despite the fact that it is not a free license.
Mandriva also provides the ability to download non-free software through its dedicated repositories.
openSUSE
OpenSUSE provides its users with access to the repository of proprietary software.
Red hat
The Red Hat's Enterprise distribution seems to have no policy on what kind of software should be included in the distribution. As we understood it makes it possible to easily enable non-free software.
Slackware
We are not aware of the problems in Slackware besides the two listed above: there is no clear policy on what software can be included and the issue with BLOBs that come with the Linux kernel. Of course, without a strict policy, other closed software can be installed.
Suse
Several closed programs are available for download from the official SUSE FTP distribution.
Ubuntu
Ubuntu provides closed source repositories. Even if you do not use them, the standard software installation program will show you them.
What about other BSD systems?
FreeBSD, NetBSD, and OpenBSD include instructions for installing non-free software from their port system. Another core of these systems include firmware. Not free firmware in Linux are called BLOBs, but in BSD systems BLOBs would have a different meaning. Thus, when their developers say that the distribution does not contain BLOBs, they mean software of another type.
And so the translation:
We are often asked why we do not support some distributions, including popular ones. We do not support them because they do not follow the guidance of free systems . It is sometimes difficult to understand why a system does not comply with the rules of a free system. We published this list to show a few problems.
')
We have free alternatives to these systems.
All specified distributions below do not pass at least 2 important points.
- They include not only open but also closed applications, and do not delete when a non-free component is found. Many of them do not have a clear policy on what type of software to include in the distribution, and what not to include. Distributions that do not have such a policy, unfortunately do not pass this point
- The kernel versions that they distribute include BLOBs: pieces of object code that are distributed without source, they usually help to work with some equipment.
The following are additional notes on some of the popular GNU / Linux distributions, which are listed in alphabetical order. We may not have indicated every problem; but we tried to show all of them, but there may be some more problems we don’t know about. On the other hand, circumstances could change after our last page refresh. If you think that some issues have been resolved here, please let us know. We study each system before approving them.
CentOS
This distribution has problems that we mentioned above.
Debian
Debian Social Contract means all software in the main distribution will be free. But in practice this is not always the case. Debian often makes exceptions for specific closed-source software, such as blobs in the kernel. We still hope that there will not be such events in the future, but we cannot close our eyes to the situation as it is today.
Debian repositories also contain proprietary software. According to the draft, this is not part of the Debian system. We understand that this is important for organizational reasons, but it is pressure on the user, that is, he has a difficult choice between open and closed software.
Fedora
Fedora has a clear policy on what can be included in the distribution, and it seems that it follows it carefully. This policy provides that most software will be available under a free license, but makes an exception for certain types of non-free software such as firmware. Unfortunately, the decision to allow the firmware to be included in the distribution keeps Fedora from being completely free.
Gentoo
Gentoo makes it easy to install a number of non-free programs through its package system.
Mandriva
Mandriva also has a policy of what can be included in the main system. It is based on the same policies as Fedora, which means that so-called firmware software can be included in the system. In addition, it allows the inclusion of software that is licensed under the “Artistic License”, despite the fact that it is not a free license.
Mandriva also provides the ability to download non-free software through its dedicated repositories.
openSUSE
OpenSUSE provides its users with access to the repository of proprietary software.
Red hat
The Red Hat's Enterprise distribution seems to have no policy on what kind of software should be included in the distribution. As we understood it makes it possible to easily enable non-free software.
Slackware
We are not aware of the problems in Slackware besides the two listed above: there is no clear policy on what software can be included and the issue with BLOBs that come with the Linux kernel. Of course, without a strict policy, other closed software can be installed.
Suse
Several closed programs are available for download from the official SUSE FTP distribution.
Ubuntu
Ubuntu provides closed source repositories. Even if you do not use them, the standard software installation program will show you them.
What about other BSD systems?
FreeBSD, NetBSD, and OpenBSD include instructions for installing non-free software from their port system. Another core of these systems include firmware. Not free firmware in Linux are called BLOBs, but in BSD systems BLOBs would have a different meaning. Thus, when their developers say that the distribution does not contain BLOBs, they mean software of another type.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/72228/
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