GNU variants

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GNU variants (also called GNU distributions or distros for short) are operating systems based upon the GNU operating system [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] (the Hurd kernel, the GNU C library, system libraries and application software like GNU coreutils, bash, GNOME, the Guix package manager, etc). According to the GNU project and others, these also include most operating systems using the Linux kernel and a few others using BSD-based kernels. [6] [7] [2]

Contents

GNU users usually obtain their operating system by downloading GNU distributions, which are available for a wide variety of systems ranging from embedded devices (for example, LibreCMC) and personal computers (for example, Debian GNU/Hurd) to powerful supercomputers (for example, Rocks Cluster Distribution).

Hurd kernel

Screenshot of Debian GNU/Hurd. Gnu hurd debian 1.png
Screenshot of Debian GNU/Hurd.

Hurd is one of two official kernels developed for the GNU system, and was the exclusive official kernel before Linux-libre also became an official GNU package. Debian GNU/Hurd was discussed for a release as technology preview with Debian 7.0 Wheezy, however these plans were discarded due to the immature state of the system. [8] However the maintainers of Debian GNU/Hurd decided to publish an unofficial release on the release date of Debian 7.0. Debian GNU/Hurd is not considered yet to provide the performance and stability expected from a production system. Among the open issues are incomplete implementation of Java and X.org graphical user interfaces and limited hardware driver support. [9] About two thirds of the Debian packages have been ported to Hurd. [10]

Arch Hurd is a derivative work of Arch Linux, porting it to the GNU Hurd system with packages optimised for the Intel P6 architecture. Their goal is to provide an Arch-like user environment (BSD-style init scripts, pacman package manager, rolling releases, and a simple set up) on the GNU Hurd, which is stable enough for at least occasional use. Currently it provides a LiveCD for evaluation purposes and installation guides for LiveCD and conventional installation. [11] [12] [13]

Linux kernel

Parabola is an example of a Linux-using GNU variant endorsed by the FSF as a "fully free" system. Parabola GNU+Linux-libre+GNOME+Emacs.png
Parabola is an example of a Linux-using GNU variant endorsed by the FSF as a "fully free" system.

The term GNU/Linux or GNU+Linux is used by the FSF and its supporters to refer to an operating system where the Linux kernel is distributed with a GNU system software. Such distributions are the primary installed base of GNU packages and programs and also of Linux. The most notable official use of this term for a distribution is Debian GNU/Linux.

As of 2018, the only GNU variants recommended by the GNU Project for regular use are Linux distributions committed to the Free System Distribution Guidelines; most of which refer to themselves as "GNU/Linux" (like Debian), and actually use a deblobbed version of the Linux kernel (like the Linux-libre kernel) and not the mainline Linux kernel. [14]

BSD kernels

Debian GNU/kFreeBSD. Debian GNU kFreeBSD 6.0 ja JP.png
Debian GNU/kFreeBSD.

Debian GNU/kFreeBSD is an operating system for IA-32 and x86-64 computer architectures. It is a distribution of GNU with Debian package management and the kernel of FreeBSD. The k in kFreeBSD is an abbreviation for kernel of, [15] and reflects the fact that only the kernel of the complete FreeBSD operating system is used. The operating system was officially released with Debian Squeeze (6.0) on February 6, 2011. [16] One Debian GNU/kFreeBSD live CD is Ging, which is no longer maintained. [17]

Debian GNU/NetBSD was an experimental port of GNU user-land applications to NetBSD kernel. No official release of this operating system was made; although work was conducted on ports for the IA-32 [18] and DEC Alpha [19] architectures, it has not seen active maintenance since 2002 and is no longer available for download. [20]

As of September 2020, the GNU Project does not recommend or endorse any BSD operating systems. [21]

OpenSolaris (Illumos) kernel

Nexenta OS is the first distribution that combines the GNU userland (with the exception of libc; OpenSolaris' libc is used) and Debian's packaging and organisation with the OpenSolaris kernel. Nexenta OS is available for IA-32 and x86-64 based systems. Nexenta Systems, Inc initiated the project and sponsors its continued development. [22] Nexenta OS is not considered a GNU variant, due to the use of OpenSolaris libc. Multiple Illumos distributions use GNU userland by default. [23]

Darwin kernel

Windows NT kernel

GNU Bash running on Windows 10. Screenshot of 'Bash on Ubuntu on Windows'.png
GNU Bash running on Windows 10.

The Cygwin project is an actively-developed compatibility layer in the form of a C library providing a substantial part of the POSIX API functionality for Windows, as well as a distribution of GNU and other Unix-like programs for such an ecosystem. It was first released in 1995 by Cygnus Solutions (now Red Hat).

In 2016 Microsoft and Canonical added an official compatibility layer to Windows 10 that translates Linux kernel calls into Windows NT ones, the reverse of what Wine does. This allows ELF executables to run unmodified on Windows, and is intended to provide web developers with the more familiar GNU userland on top of the Windows kernel. [24] [25] [26] The combination has been dubbed "Linux for Windows", even though Linux (i.e. the operating system family defined by its common use of the Linux kernel) is absent.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Debian</span> Linux distribution based on free and open-source software

Debian, also known as Debian GNU/Linux, is a Linux distribution composed of free and open-source software and optionally non-free firmware or software developed by the community-supported Debian Project, which was established by Ian Murdock on August 16, 1993. The first version of Debian (0.01) was released on September 15, 1993, and its first stable version (1.1) was released on June 17, 1996. The Debian Stable branch is the most popular edition for personal computers and servers. Debian is also the basis for many other distributions that have different purposes, like Proxmox for servers, Ubuntu or Linux Mint for desktops, Kali for penetration testing, and Pardus and Astra for government use.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GNU</span> Free software collection

GNU is an extensive collection of free software, which can be used as an operating system or can be used in parts with other operating systems. The use of the completed GNU tools led to the family of operating systems popularly known as Linux. Most of GNU is licensed under the GNU Project's own General Public License (GPL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GNU Hurd</span> Operating system kernel designed as a replacement for Unix

GNU Hurd is a collection of microkernel servers written as part of GNU, for the GNU Mach microkernel. It has been under development since 1990 by the GNU Project of the Free Software Foundation, designed as a replacement for the Unix kernel, and released as free software under the GNU General Public License. When the Linux kernel proved to be a viable solution, development of GNU Hurd slowed, at times alternating between stasis and renewed activity and interest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Portage (software)</span> Gentoo package management system

Portage is a package management system originally created for and used by Gentoo Linux and also by ChromeOS, Calculate, Sabayon, and Funtoo Linux among others. Portage is based on the concept of ports collections. Gentoo is sometimes referred to as a meta-distribution due to the extreme flexibility of Portage, which makes it operating-system-independent. The Gentoo/Alt project was concerned with using Portage to manage other operating systems, such as BSDs, macOS and Solaris. The most notable of these implementations is the Gentoo/FreeBSD project.

The GNU C Library, commonly known as glibc, is the GNU Project's implementation of the C standard library. It is a wrapper around the system calls of the Linux kernel for application use. Despite its name, it now also directly supports C++. It was started in the 1980s by the Free Software Foundation (FSF) for the GNU operating system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GNU/Linux naming controversy</span> Issues of what to call a system with the GNU toolchain and the Linux kernel

Within the free software and the open-source software communities there is controversy over whether to refer to computer operating systems that use a combination of GNU software and the Linux kernel as "GNU/Linux" or "Linux" systems.

Technical variations of Linux distributions include support for different hardware devices and systems or software package configurations. Organizational differences may be motivated by historical reasons. Other criteria include security, including how quickly security upgrades are available; ease of package management; and number of packages available.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nexenta OS</span> Discontinued computer operating system

Nexenta OS, officially known as the Nexenta Core Platform, is a discontinued computer operating system based on OpenSolaris and Ubuntu that runs on IA-32- and x86-64-based systems. It emerged in fall 2005, after Sun Microsystems started the OpenSolaris project in June of that year. Nexenta Systems, Inc. initiated the project and sponsored its development. Nexenta OS version 1.0 was released in February 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SpareMiNT</span> Software distribution based on FreeMiNT

SpareMiNT is a software distribution based on FreeMiNT, which consists of a MiNT-like operating system (OS) and kernel plus GEM compatible AES.

These tables compare free software / open-source operating systems. Where not all of the versions support a feature, the first version which supports it is listed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Linux</span> Family of Unix-like operating systems

Linux is a family of open-source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991, by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged as a Linux distribution (distro), which includes the kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses and recommends the name "GNU/Linux" to emphasize the use and importance of GNU software in many distributions, causing some controversy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WeeChat</span> IRC client

WeeChat is a free and open-source Internet Relay Chat client that is designed to be light and fast. It is released under the terms of the GNU GPL-3.0-or-later and has been developed since 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Linux-libre</span> Version of the Linux kernel without proprietary code

According to the Free Software Foundation Latin America, Linux-libre is a modified version of the Linux kernel that contains no binary blobs, obfuscated code, or code released under proprietary licenses. In the Linux kernel, they are mostly used for proprietary firmware images. While generally redistributable, binary blobs do not give the user the freedom to audit, modify, or, consequently, redistribute their modified versions. The GNU Project keeps Linux-libre in synchronization with the mainline Linux kernel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Illumos</span> Free software implementation of the Solaris kernel

Illumos is a partly free and open-source Unix operating system. It is based on OpenSolaris, which was based on System V Release 4 (SVR4) and the Berkeley Software Distribution (BSD). Illumos comprises a kernel, device drivers, system libraries, and utility software for system administration. This core is now the base for many different open-sourced Illumos distributions, in a similar way in which the Linux kernel is used in different Linux distributions.

Arch Hurd is distribution of the GNU operating system with GNU Hurd kernel.

PacBSD was an operating system based on Arch Linux, but used the FreeBSD kernel instead of the Linux kernel and the GNU userland. The PacBSD project began on an Arch Linux forum thread in April 2012. It aimed to provide an Arch-like user environment, utilizing the OpenRC init system, the pacman package manager, and rolling-release.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hyperbola GNU/Linux-libre</span> Linux distribution based on Arch Linux

Hyperbola GNU/Linux-libre is a Linux distribution for the i686 and x86-64 architectures. It is based on Arch Linux snapshots and Debian development. It includes the GNU operating system components and the Linux-libre kernel instead of the generic Linux kernel. Hyperbola GNU/Linux-libre is listed by the Free Software Foundation as a completely free operating system, true to their Free System Distribution Guidelines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GNU Guix System</span> Rolling release distribution of the GNU operating system built around the GNU Guix package manager

GNU Guix System or Guix System is a rolling release, free and open source Linux distribution built around the GNU Guix package manager. It enables a declarative operating system configuration and allows system upgrades which the user can rollback. It uses the GNU Shepherd init system and the Linux-libre kernel, with support of the GNU Hurd kernel under development. On February 3, 2015, the Free Software Foundation added the distribution to its list of endorsed free Linux distributions. The Guix package manager and the Guix System drew inspiration from and were based on the Nix package manager and NixOS respectively.

References

  1. ↑ "Guix: A New Package Manager & GNU Distribution - Phoronix". www.phoronix.com. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  2. 1 2 UG, Awesome Developers. "Source Code & GPL Open Source". www.snom.com. Archived from the original on April 9, 2018. Retrieved April 8, 2018. Variants of the GNU operating system, which use the kernel Linux, are now widely used; though these systems are often referred to as "Linux", they are more accurately called "GNU/Linux systems".
  3. ↑ "The GNU Operating System". LinuxReviews. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  4. ↑ "Outreachy internships working with GNU Guix". www.outreachy.org. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  5. ↑ "13 Lightweight Linux Distributions to Give Your Old PC a New Lease of Life". MakeUseOf. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  6. ↑ Stallman, Richard (June 19, 2007). "Linux and the GNU Project". About the GNU Project. Free Software Foundation. Retrieved July 22, 2007.
  7. ↑ The Debian Project (July 11, 2007). "What is Debian?". About Debian. Retrieved July 22, 2007.
  8. ↑ List of potential release architektures for Debian Wheezy
  9. ↑ GNU Hurd news
  10. ↑ Debian Wiki: Debian GNU/Hurd
  11. ↑ "Graphical livecd - Desktop packages", Arch Hurd, December 7, 2010, archived from the original on March 14, 2012, retrieved December 8, 2011
  12. ↑ "A month of the Hurd: CD images.", GNU , December 31, 2010, retrieved December 8, 2011
  13. ↑ Vervloesem, Koen (July 7, 2010). "The Hurd: GNU's quest for the perfect kernel". LWN.net . Hurd distributions. Retrieved December 8, 2011.
  14. ↑ "Free GNU/Linux distributions". gnu.org. December 22, 2017.
  15. ↑ "Debian GNU/kFreeBSD FAQ".
  16. ↑ "Debian 6.0 Squeeze released".
  17. ↑ "The Ging FAQ". Archived from the original on April 22, 2008. Retrieved February 22, 2008.
  18. ↑ "Debian GNU/NetBSD". Debian.org. Retrieved July 20, 2012.
  19. ↑ "Debian GNU/NetBSD for Alpha". Debian.org. Retrieved July 20, 2012.
  20. ↑ "Debian GNU/*BSD News". Debian.org. Retrieved July 20, 2012.
  21. ↑ "Explaining Why We Don't Endorse Other Systems". GNU Project. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
  22. ↑ Nexenta Systems, Inc. (June 20, 2007). "Unix Portal:Nexenta OS - Nexenta OpenSolaris". Sponsors & Support. Archived from the original on July 11, 2007. Retrieved July 22, 2007. This work is initiated and sponsored by Nexenta Systems, Inc. Technical support is available from a variety of sources, including Community and Web Forums.
  23. ↑ Illumos Foundation. "Distributions". Default Userland
  24. ↑ "Why Microsoft Making Linux Apps Run on Windows Isn't Crazy". WIRED. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
  25. ↑ scooley. "Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)". docs.microsoft.com. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
  26. ↑ Rogoff, Zak (March 14, 2018). "Thoughts on GNU/kWindows — GNU programs running natively on top of the Windows kernel". Medium. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
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