Filed under: OS Updates, Linux, Open Source
gNewSense 2.0: Ubuntu 8.04 without any proprietary software
But if you're a die-hard open source enthusiast, you can install Ubuntu without any restricted components by hitting F6 at the boot menu when installing Ubuntu. This will let you install free software only, although you'll still have access to the restricted repositories.
Or if you want to be really hard core about it, you can install gNewSense 2.0, which is basically Hardy Heron without any restricted drivers -- or even easy access to them. That means there's a decent chance that your WiFi and video cards won't be supported right out of the box. But you can also be certain that you're using 100% free software which means you or anyone else can examine or modify every last line of code on your system.
In the past, Canonical, the company behind Ubuntu, has released Gobuntu, which is basically an official version of Ubuntu with free software only. But according to the Gobuntu wiki, the community that had been supporting the free software version of Ubuntu hasn't gotten around to creating a version for Hardy Heron, the latest Ubuntu distro.
For the most part gNewSense feels like Ubuntu. But it has about 100 packages missing, including some proprietary drivers, graphics, and even Firefox. The operating system uses Ephinany as its web browser instead.
[via Linux.com and Slashdot]


With Halloween fast approaching, it's a great time to get in some practice defending your territory against zombies. In Graveyard Shift, you take aim at zombies and other creepy-crawlies, blasting them into splatters of cartoony green guts. It's a casual first-person shooter, and it's very easy to get the hang of - use the mouse to aim, click to fire. Graveyard Shift has at least 15 levels, and it might even have some secret stages I haven't unlocked yet.
They key to getting good at Graveyard Shift is learning to use ...
