thats only if the repos are mixed, if they have separate repos its >5.
Obv not final numbers, was just a quick idea on how to base the score
That’s a really good point. I kinda fit that into beginner friendliness.
I know, right? I don’t usually change the default wallpaper. Plus, it updates every 6 months automatically!
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fedora lmao
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Right, but I think they might work well as is.
Yeah, but typically they are.
I mean, not completely auto, but it’s just a matter of a dnf release-upgrade
Proprietary software installed by default would be a zero in my eyes. You don’t get less free than that without being Windows.
I’d grant an exception for firmware licensed under the GPL.
Linux is Free Software, by virtue of the GPL, but since some of that firmware is only in binary form, it doesn’t respect Freedom 1. Fedora ships that, and while it’s less free than say… Hyperbola, it’s still a very free distro, on the spectrum.
Making that assessment purely about the repos is the wrong approach. Nailing down exact criteria might be impossibly hard, but I think figuring out their relative positions will be very easy.
My guidelines were an oversimplification.
Fedora has a tiny amount of binary stuff installed by default, microcode etc; but otherwise they keep nonfree out of their repos and dont even maintain a nonfree repo ( the 3rd party rpmfusion nonfree repo has to be added )
OpenSUSE and Debian have separate Non-OSS and OSS repos.
Ubuntu is mixed.
I think you’re in the minority on that opinion.
Are you only running libreboot systems?
That’s fair.
Doesn’t that make it open source? I thought GPL, by definition is open source.
Until I get my hands on it and install Nvidia, Oracle Java, Flash and Chrome.
This is where I’m going to need help. I don’t really know (mostly because it’s not a big thing for me) which distros are “more free”
Do you think I should add Hyperbola to my list of distros to evaluate and add? (do you have any others that you think should be on my list?)
My suggestion was to start with the repos and then add or subtract from there based on installed software
That would make everything but debian, arch, and gentoo a 0, quite a useless stat if that were the case.
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Man there is so many! Great write up though, only did a quick look but will be for sure looking at this for more info when I take the plunge
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I think you’re in the minority on that opinion.
Probably, but that’s irrelevant.
I’m not making a subjective assessment of what is better or what is preferable to users. On the one criteria of “Respects Your Freedom”, it’s fairly objective to say that shipping proprietary software by default is the lowest value you can have on that scale.
Are you only running libreboot systems?
Not yet, but that’s my goal. 
I’m even so bad, I optionally install binary-only firmware! (amdgpu)
The fact that I’m not “pure” doesn’t move the target though.
Doesn’t that make it open source?
Richard Stallman would like to have a word with you about that.
Normally, the distinction between Free Software and Open Source is pedantic, but this is one exception where it matters. Yes, it is open source. It’s even licensed under a Free Software Foundation approved Free Software license, but it is not (by definition) Free Software because it doesn’t respect Freedom 1. The user can not study or modify it in a meaningful way. Functionally, it’s as free as software that requires cryptographic signing to function (i.e. Secure Boot) because if it’s modified, it ceases to function. Users must be free to modify it, and human readable source code is a requirement for that under the Free Software definition.
(As a side note: I’ve been meaning to ask Richard about how free GNU software is for someone who can’t code… They also can’t edit or modify it in a meaningful way, but I digress.)
Do you think I should add Hyperbola to my list of distros to evaluate and add?
No, it’s probably not meaningful for the majority of users. It’s a clear 10 on the libre scale. It’s a hyper-free distro, that removes the stuff we’re talking about, even at the expense of limiting functionality. If you expand your assesments to include those, sure. But it’s not likely to be of value to the majority of people. If mentioned at all, it should just be linked to in describing what a 10 would be.
Sounds good. There’s tons of information in there, and it’s only going to get longer, but the idea is to give you a quick primer on the strengths and weaknesses of the different distros so you can make a decision on what you might like to start with, rather than having people on the internet give you blind suggestions.
Oh, and thanks!
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That’s too black and white of a distinction, perhaps a different name for the category is needed then. The priority is to make sure that the extra information ads something of value to whoever is looking for a distro.
I’m willing to change my mind on that, but what would a zero be, if not that?
I don’t mean it just being in the repos or included on the install image. I mean part of the default install. Present on a user’s system the first time they boot into their fresh system.
Also, note that earlier, I mentioned the exception for GPL licensed firmware. Fedora would meet my definition of being a free system.
I think that’s a fair argument, but I think that would make it very difficult to accurately rank distros under that circumstance. Maybe we have a y/n flag for “ships with proprietary blobs”?
Is amdgpu binary only? I thought it was open source.
I’d love to hit the same target, but at the end of the day, I’ve got a lot of work to do on the average day.
I think the point is that the option is there if you take the time to learn. There’s only so far you can go on that.
Interesting question though. I’d very much like to know the answer.
Maybe I’ll add it as a footnote “for those who want a fully libre distro, Hyperbola is a good choice”
I don’t know. I think it’s more about how much it relies on.
Fedora ships with Intel microcode. That doesn’t make it the most unfree distro out there.
Maybe I’m misunderstanding the whole GPL’d firmware. Are you talking about binary blobs that have source code somewhere?
As a massive fan of LXLE, I can sadly say you can take it off the list. They never made an 18.04 LTS release, and between the changes in the base (Lubuntu using LXQt) and the stagnation of some things with the LXDE, there probably won’t be any more releases for a while and it probably will be based on something else using Openbox similar to Bunsen Labs. I still use LXLE on most of my machines but it is now essentially a dormant distro.
Fedora
Fedora does have a clear policy about what can be included in the distribution, and it seems to be followed carefully. The policy requires that most software and all fonts be available under a free license, but makes an exception for certain kinds of nonfree firmware. Unfortunately, the decision to allow that firmware in the policy keeps Fedora from meeting the free system distribution guidelines.
openSUSE
openSUSE offers a repository of nonfree software.
Ubuntu GNU/Linux
Ubuntu provides specific repositories of nonfree software, and Canonical expressly promotes and recommends nonfree software under the Ubuntu name in some of their distribution channels. Ubuntu offers the option to install only free packages, which means it also offers the option to install nonfree packages too. In addition, the version of Linux, the kernel, included in Ubuntu contains firmware blobs.
The “Ubuntu Software Center” lists proprietary programs and free programs jumbled together. It is hard to tell which ones are free since proprietary programs for download at no charge are labelled “free”.
Ubuntu appears to permit commercial redistribution of exact copies with the trademarks; removal of the trademarks is required only for modified versions. That is an acceptable policy for trademarks. The same page, further down, makes a vague and ominous statement about “Ubuntu patents,” without giving enough details to show whether that constitutes aggression or not.
That page spreads confusion by using the misleading term “intellectual property rights”, which falsely presumes that trademark law and patent law and several other laws belong in one single conceptual framework. Use of that term is harmful, without exception, so after making a reference to someone else’s use of the term, we should always reject it. However, that is not a substantive issue about Ubuntu as a GNU/Linux distribution.
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INB4 deepin request
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I’m open to evaluating any distro you’d like.
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@SgtAwesomesauce i think you are missing the gui dumb linux deepin for base stability and user flow in the gui its the “i dont know im using linux” distro
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Netrunner or KDE Neon