Ubuntu 7.10 Gutsy Gibbon

[phoronix]

Phoronix News: Ubuntu 7.10 Gutsy Gibbon

Warty Warthog, Hoary Hedgehog, Breezy Badger, Dapper Drake, Edgy Eft, and now Feisty Fawn, but what is the codename for the next Ubuntu release? Gutsy Gibbon. Ubuntu 7.10 non-LTS will be known as "Gutsy Gibbon" and will actually include two releases. Coming along side the "normal" Ubuntu release will be a new ultra-free version that includes "no firmware, drivers, imagery, sounds, applications, or other content...

http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?pag...item&px=NTY4NA

[joshuapurcell]

I'm interested in what this ultra-free version will be used for. Without looking for information yet, I'm guessing it will be meant for use as a template for derivative distributions. That would be a very huge benefit from the sound of it.

[Synergy6]

I thought a Linux distro was basically just ""firmware, drivers, imagery, sounds, applications, or other content" on top of the kernel. Doesn't sound like it leaves very much, other than a customised kernel and boot scripts.

[yoshi314]

I thought a Linux distro was basically just ""firmware, drivers, imagery, sounds, applications, or other content" on top of the kernel. Doesn't sound like it leaves very much, other than a customised kernel and boot scripts.

you just have to throuw out the proprietary stuff. which does not have a big share in the linux environment.

by proprietary i mean closed-source drivers, closed-source software (opera, flash, acrobat), drivers requiring closed-source firmware and some patented solutions, like mp3 support, binary codecs or certain encryption/decryption algorithms (idea, dvdcss)

that doesn't cut out too much out of linux. linux is mostly composed of free and open software.

linux distro is composed of a kernel and software that runs on top of it. that's the whole philosophy. some distributions don't even provide X servers, because of their design. nobody says that every distro should have everything to be called a distribution.

a "clean" distro like this is very useful in certain cases. you can distribute it everywhere with no fear of infrining some weird copyright laws - remember what happened when proprietary nvidia drivers were included on xgl livecd many months ago - somebody claimed that it was a violation of a gpl license, and the author pulled it down from the server looking for solution.

also remember that linux distributions didn't ship java runtimes nor java jdk with them on their install media - even though it was free for download from the sun website, the java's license did not allow it. (sun loosened up the license a few months before completely opening up java). debian did not provide a package - they only has a wrapper script until then.

[Synergy6]

Ah, I thought they meant all of the above, not just proprietary versions.

[janl]

Yeah, for an example of a "free" distribution look at Fedora or Debian. A free version of Ubuntu wouldn't have their "restricted" driver package, support for mp3 and the like packaged in out of the box.

[Thund]

...but "free" Ubuntu would be a default Debian install with an orange Gnome theme...

Fedora isn't free, just stupid. They still ship encumbered bits - they just gimp (heh!) your system (and security) with no mp3's or encryption.