“All Linux distributions are supposed to be free, but some
distributions are freer than others. Because some gaps remain in
free software functionality, many distributions, including Ubuntu,
include proprietary applications, such as Acrobat and Flash
readers, and drivers for video and wireless cards. Many more
include Linux kernels with proprietary firmware for device
drivers.“Among the hundreds of distributions, only eight are officially
recognized by the Free Software Foundation as being completely free
of proprietary material.“Mostly based on Debian or Ubuntu, and often South American or
Spanish in origin, these distros often lag behind the most popular
ones in the software they include. Sometimes, too, they lag in
functionality — for instance, they include the Gnash Flash-player,
which is still not a complete replacement for Adobe’s Flash
player.”
LinuxToday is a trusted, contributor-driven news resource supporting all types of Linux users. Our thriving international community engages with us through social media and frequent content contributions aimed at solving problems ranging from personal computing to enterprise-level IT operations. LinuxToday serves as a home for a community that struggles to find comparable information elsewhere on the web.
Property of TechnologyAdvice. © 2025 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved
Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.