As some of you may know, Linux is not the only Unix-like operating system available. There are other UNIX derivatives, and one of the most popular among them is called BSD. If you have been to Distrowatch, you will see different BSD distributions listed in there.I have said before that I'm interested in trying BSD distros, but until now I still can't find the time to do it.

One of the most controversial freedoms of free software is the right to simply take the code and go make your own competing project — what is popularly called a “fork”. It’s controversial but it is a critical freedom to have. This FSM article outlines the reasoning in a clear fashion and is complete with historical examples.

“What’s your primary Linux distribution of choice?“. Every time I talk with my neighborhood’s friends, this is one of the usual questions always come up… always! And the curious thing is that every one has the perfect answer: Debian! Ubuntu! Mandriva! whatever! Do you know how many Linux distros are available around the Internet? Too many!!! (You can check a huge list at DistroWatch).

Which GNU/Linux distribution a person prefers is a very individual choice. Some people like distributions that give them total access: the freedom to do whatever they want. Others want a desktop OS that will hold their hand if they run into problems.

With last Saturday's "Squeeze" release, Debian took an important step towards being a fully free distribution and ensuring freedom for its users. Most GNU/Linux distributions directly or virtually include proprietary software. To promote development and use of totally free distros, the FSF publishes precise criteria for GNU/Linux distributions to fully respect users' freedom.

"... «I ask you to please always call it Free Software because that way you will encourage other people to pay attention to the question of freedom. The term Open Source was formulated by people who did not want to talk about freedom and that is the stupidest thing any people can do.

I've started using Linux with Redhat 6.2, which was released in 2000. The list of popular distributions available back then was limited to Redhat, Mandriva, SUSE, Debian and Slackware. The search for 'Active' distributions on distrowatch listed 296 distributions as of today.

The main objective of this blog is to help narrow down the list of Linux- and BSD-based distributions that a new user will feel comfortable using. Distributions that provide the same or better level of user-friendliness than the malware-infested and DRM-riddled operating system that they currently use.

"...It is a failure of the GNU project and of the free software movement that there is so much emphasis on monolithic distributions and binary package distributions. It is a failure of the GNU project and the free software movement that one so often encounters distros that offer to not install source trees and even offer to not install development environments.