A subdirectory of the above Free Software Directory that focuses on GNU distributions and supporting software where you will find links and support to much GNU-based software. Documentation is also available here.
GNU Operating System packages and additional software such as productivity suites, audio and video applications, database applications and tools, educational software, print and printer software and utilities including drivers, scientific applications, security suites and tools, graphics software, software development and software libraries to name but a few of the extensive range that can be found here.
Have been developing the free, UNIX style operating system GNU since 1983. The primary objective is to enable computer users to have the freedom to share and improve the software they use. Most common distributions have teamed GNU with the Linux kernel to form GNU/Linux.
Other directories of note include:
Here you will find lists and links to GNU/Linux distributions that only include and only propose free software. Any non-free applications, non-free programming platforms, non-free drivers and non-free firmware “blobs” are not accepted. If any are included by mistake, then they remove it or at least that is their claim. Check them out. They do try hard to live up to their ethos.
It is also possible for you to recommend suitable software to be included in their catalogues. You can do this by asking the distribution's maintainers if they want to follow these free software principles. If they do, and would like their distribution to be included in these lists then they should write to .
There are many distributions that are working very hard toward being a completely free system and their efforts can be rewarded by being posted here as the “free” as in “free beer” publicity will undoubtedly be to their benefit. So if you are a developer, maintainer or user of a distribution that would qualify for listing then do so. The future and life expectancy of listed distributions is on average much rosier than for those not listed.
If you are a fan of Linux and GNU then here is a good site as their focus is set firmly on Free GNU/Linux distributions. The site maintains a list (catalogue) of all of those distributions that they list are installable to a computer hard drive and most can be run live. Their lists have no particular order and they have many links to other sites.
This is an unofficial Czech GNU site
Because Sun Microsystems® have made Java freely available with incredable software development tools and support the folks at JNode.org have produced a free operating system written in Java that is supposed to be “ground breaking”. I have no personal experience of this OS myself, but I am sure that this will be of interest to all you Java enthusiasts out there.
I myself am going to check it out once I have finished this article so if you want to check back later I will have an update to give you the low-down on what it is like. Better yet, if anybody has already experience of it, I know that I like many others would appreciate it if they would leave their thoughts or impressions in the comments section at the bottom of the page.
Amazingly, even I have found something new and worthy of further investigation while researching for this article. You never know what is out there unless you look. This is the reason why I included some of the earlier sites and the “news and community” sites below. Some people make very good software but are not so “crash hot” on promoting or publicizing it.
The showpiece at Dyne.org is undoubtedly Dyne:bolic the free, as in “free beer” GNU/Linux distribution that places special emphasis on audio and video editing. Visit the site, download an ISO-image, burn a CD and then reboot your PC and hey presto a new OS up and running.
With a focus on rich multimedia content production dyne:bolic includes tools that enable you to record, edit, encode, stream, manipulate, broadcast and multicast sound and video. “Out of the box” support for a huge list of peripherals, audio, video, TV, network cards, IEEE 1394 (FireWire) and USB. Runs on a Pentium I or K5 and above, 64MB of RAM and IDE CD-ROM or a modded XBOX game console which is pretty, damn amazing.
This site rates a mention because it caters for much that we love and fulfills the fundamental criteria of providing variety, quality, support, versatility, legality, massive feature set and most of all its free in both dollars and the ideologies of the free software movement.
