Recommended Operating Systems
mignu redigerade denna sida 7 år sedan

This page is still unfinished (26 January 2018).

This is a list of free software operating systems for computer. This list made simple so all computer users can change their operating systems from Windows to GNU/Linux or from Android to Replicant. They work for (x86 types) desktop PC, laptop, and smartphone (ARM types). They are available gratis on the internet and may be purchased in physical media. They are all certified as 100% free systems by the FSF and I list here only the most easy to install and user-friendly ones. I include the reason to recommend one and reason to not recommend others.

Computer Operating System Reason
PC, 32 bit Trisquel Very stable,
Easy to install,
graphical interface with MATE Desktop,
very active community through forum and mailing list,
latest version is 8.0 and based on Ubuntu 16.04 LTS
PC, 64 bit Trisquel
PureOS
PureOS:
is only available for 64 bit
is graphical, easy to install
is rolling release with newest software version possible
is based on Debian 9.0
Smartphone, ARM Replicant Replicant is the only one free operating system based on Android
Replicant is based on LineageOS but without any proprietary software
Replicant will not recommend proprietary software to the user

Why Not Others?

  • Why not popular GNU/Linux distros such as Debian and Ubuntu? Because they are not 100% free. A 100% distro is the one using Linux-libre kernel and not Linux kernel, having policy to delete all proprietary software at anytime, and complying the FSF's FSDG. This page enlists only 100% free ones.
  • Why not Parabola, GuixSD, and Dragora? Although they are 100% free, they are hard to install and not user-friendly. This page enlists only user-friendly ones.
  • Why not BLAG and gNewSense? Although they are 100% free as well, they are all not maintained for a long time, so the users cannot install programs anymore. This page enlists only the actively maintained ones.
  • Why not LineageOS? Because LineageOS (along with OmniROM, CopperheadOS, and CyanogenMod) are still containing nonfree software. Replicant is free from nonfree software.

This article is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 or at your option GNU Free Documentation License 1.3.