Slackware, GNU and free software.
 

I've been using Slackware for several years, but haven't really encountered (or put much thought into) a definite answer on Slackware's amount of "freedom" as defined by the FSF and the Stallmanites. Does Slackware knowingly include much non-free software, or is it mostly all in the kernels that ship with it by default?

There is a small amount of software that would be considered "non-free" by the Free Software Foundation. An example is ksh93, i.e., the latest version of AT&T's Korn shell.

As far as I am aware, Slackware has no official stance on this subject. Slackware basically just goes with whatever works, and doesn't get too tangled up in the philosophical ideals that some other distributions wrestle with.

That said, Slack also has an extremely small set of packages when compared to most mainstream distributions, so by just the law of averages it is less like for Slack to wind up in those sorts of situations.

I think there's only about half-a-dozen distros on the FSF's "approved" list. So we're not alone.

Well, it's certainly not officially certified by the FSF as being as pure as RMS decrees, but then very very very few distros are, ones you've probably never heard of.

I can put it this way: It's legal.

Debian?

No, Debian isn't on the list.

http://www.gnu.org/distros/free-distros.html

http://www.gnu.org/distros/free-distros.html
http://www.gnu.org/distros/common-distros.html

I tried gNewSense in my distrohopping days. OK for idealists like RMS, but not for normal people like me (?).

It likely never will be, as Slackware uses unmodified kernel source.

you wish, heheheehe

Debian is definitely the closest of the major distributions to being included on the list, but from what I've read the GNU project's main gripe with it is that its guidelines are too vague (I find them pretty succinct) and its extremely minimal inclusion of proprietary code. That being said, I think Slackware would be easier to make a free spin-off of than most other distributions. The kernel source is its main problem but, using the libre kernel, and with a handpicked set of packages, there wouldn't be much standing in its way. But the effort.. :P

There is - or was - a free/libre Slackware spinoff. That would be Kongoni Linux (http://kongoni.co.za/).

However, last week the sole developer announced that he pulls the plug - according to his story, there has been no input from other people apart from himself in the year that the distro existed.

Eric

And sadly, it looks like his server got owned. http://kongoni.co.za/user-forums/help-me-please.html

Don't think the server was owned just a spam bot posting threads in the forum.

Jeez, no wonder there was no input. That colour scheme (orange, red and black text on red-brown background) on his forum would have stopped me ever returning.

The short answer, right from the horse's mouth is: "We're not aware of problems in Slackware aside from the two listed above: there's no clear policy about what software can be included, and nonfree blobs are shipped with Linux. Of course, with no firm policy in place, there might be other nonfree software included that we missed." (from the thread posted above).

That's pretty close to a full endorsement without actually getting one.

Regards,