[kwlug-disc] Canadian Distros?

Mon Apr 20 00:37:14 EDT 2015

Hi

I was surprised by the number of Canadian distros listed on Distrowatch
myself. I wondered if they were just hosted here, and I was sort of hoping
that the members would have some more insight on this.

I do not want nationalism to creep into the FLOSS movement; I point with
pride that there is such an international effort where people of all
nations, races, beliefs, Leaf fans, Montreal fans etc. help each other and
contribute to the effort any way they can.

It is a warm and fuzzy to know that Canada is doing some good stuff out
there, including Kernal development. Do we want government to get behind
FLOSS? Showing them  good Canadian distros can't hurt.

Cheers!!

John

> Just because it can be doesn't mean it is. Otherwise uproars like
> heartbleed and crypt{something or other}, wouldn't.
>
> I expect some have stayed or moved in Canada to avoid some drcm / export
> nonsense. Not to say a fair bit of whatever restrictions don't equally
> apply here. (And I suppose doesn't mean they're actually hosted here.
> [Never mind mirrors.])
>
> I expect some will feel more warm fuzzy or proud at Canadian efforts.
>
> Certainly I am more inclined to North American distros, for, as you
> note, a higher likelihood of review / confidence. Let alone being so
> English centric, I'm less likely to run into lost in translation issues.
>
>
> Was rather surprised that OpenBSD is Canadian based. Didn't thunk.
>
>
> On 04/13/2015 05:17 PM, Digimer wrote:
>> Allow me to be naive, but why does it matter where a distro came from?
>> The source is open, so it can't be a "trust" question, because
>> everything can be audited.
>>
>> http://i.imgur.com/zD4C2.jpg
>>
>> Or is this a question of which countries have good environments for
>> promoting OSS development? If the latter, then interesting question.
>>
>> digimer
>>
>> On 13/04/15 04:48 PM, CrankyOldBugger wrote:
>>> According to DistroWatch, these are Canadian:
>>>
>>> *1. elementary OS <http://distrowatch.com/elementary> (8)*
>>> elementary OS is an Ubuntu-based desktop distribution. Some of its more
>>> interesting features include a new GTK+ and icon theme for GNOME, the
>>> Midori web browser, new applications developed in-house (e.g. Dexter,
>>> an
>>> address book and Postler, an email client), and Nautilus Elementary, a
>>> simple file manager.
>>>
>>> *2. Arch Linux <http://distrowatch.com/arch> (9)*
>>> Arch Linux is an independently developed, i686- and x86_64-optimised
>>> Linux distribution targeted at competent Linux users. It uses 'pacman',
>>> its home-grown package manager, to provide updates to the latest
>>> software applications with full dependency tracking. Operating on a
>>> rolling release system, Arch can be installed from a CD image or via an
>>> FTP server. The default install provides a solid base that enables
>>> users
>>> to create a custom installation. In addition, the Arch Build System
>>> (ABS) provides a way to easily build new packages, modify the
>>> configuration of stock packages, and share these packages with other
>>> users via the Arch Linux user repository.
>>>
>>> *3. ArchBang Linux <http://distrowatch.com/archbang> (59)*
>>> ArchBang Linux is a lightweight distribution based on Arch Linux. Using
>>> the Openbox window manager, it is fast, up-to-date and suitable for
>>> both
>>> desktop and portable systems.
>>>
>>> *4. GhostBSD <http://distrowatch.com/ghostbsd> (81)*
>>> GhostBSD is a user-friendly desktop operating system based on FreeBSD.
>>> The project's goal is to create an easy-to-use and familiar workspace
>>> that can be used at home or office and for data rescue. GhostBSD
>>> supports a number of popular lightweight desktop environments,
>>> including
>>> MATE, Xfce, LXDE and Openbox. It also provides FreeBSD's package
>>> management system, Apache's OpenOffice.org, LibreOffice, LibreCAD, and
>>> Eclipse/Anjuta development environments for C, C++, Java, JavaScript,
>>> Jala and Python.
>>>
>>> *5. VectorLinux <http://distrowatch.com/vector> (82)*
>>> VectorLinux is a small, fast, Intel based Linux operating system for PC
>>> style computers. The creators of VectorLinux had a single credo: keep
>>> it
>>> simple, keep it small and let the end user decide what their operating
>>> system is going to be. What has evolved from this concept is perhaps
>>> the
>>> best little Linux operating system available anywhere. For the casual
>>> computer user there is a lightening-fast desktop with graphical
>>> programs
>>> to handle daily activities from web surfing, sending and receiving
>>> email, chatting on IRC to running an FTP server. The power user will be
>>> pleased because all the tools are there to compile programs, use the
>>> system as a server or perhaps the gateway for home or office computer
>>> network. Administrators will be equally pleased because of the small
>>> size and memory requirements, so the operating system can be deployed
>>> on
>>> older machines that have long been forgotten.
>>>
>>> *6. AV Linux <http://distrowatch.com/avlinux> (83)*
>>> AV Linux is a versatile, Debian-based distribution featuring a large
>>> collection of audio and video production software. Additionally, it
>>> also
>>> includes a custom kernel with IRQ threading enabled for low-latency
>>> audio performance. AV Linux can be run directly from a live DVD or a
>>> live USB storage device, though it can also be installed on a hard disk
>>> and used as a general-purpose operating system for everyday tasks.
>>>
>>> *7. OpenBSD <http://distrowatch.com/openbsd> (86)*
>>> The OpenBSD project produces a free, multi-platform BSD 4.4-based
>>> UNIX-like operating system. Its efforts emphasize portability,
>>> standardisation, correctness, proactive security and integrated
>>> cryptography. The project also develops the widely-used and popular
>>> OpenSSH (OpenBSD Secure Shell) software, which provides encrypted
>>> communication sessions over a computer network using the SSH protocol.
>>>
>>> *8. Linux From Scratch <http://distrowatch.com/lfs> (139)*
>>> Linux From Scratch (LFS) is a project that provides you with the steps
>>> necessary to build your own custom Linux system. There are a lot of
>>> reasons why somebody would want to install an LFS system. The question
>>> most people raise is "why go through all the hassle of manually
>>> installing a Linux system from scratch when you can just download an
>>> existing distribution like Debian or Redhat". That is a valid question
>>> which I hope to answer for you. The most important reason for LFS's
>>> existence is teaching people how a Linux system works internally.
>>> Building an LFS system teaches you about all that makes Linux tick, how
>>> things work together, and depend on each other. And most importantly,
>>> how to customize it to your own taste and needs.
>>>
>>> *9. Pidora <http://distrowatch.com/pidora> (241)*
>>> Pidora is a Linux software distribution for the Raspberry Pi computer.
>>> It contains software packages from the Fedora project compiled for the
>>> ARMv6 architecture used on the Raspberry Pi, packages which have been
>>> specifically written for or modified for the Raspberry Pi, and software
>>> provided by the Raspberry Pi Foundation for device access.
>>>
>>>
>>> On Mon, 13 Apr 2015 at 16:35 William Park <opengeometry at yahoo.ca
>>> <mailto:opengeometry at yahoo.ca>> wrote:
>>>
>>>      On Mon, Apr 13, 2015 at 07:41:43PM -0000, jekerr at SDF.ORG
>>>      <mailto:jekerr at SDF.ORG> wrote:
>>>      > How many distros are there from Canada?
>>>      > I was surprised, by the number.
>>>
>>>      I only know of Arch.  But, who knows, website is only keyboards
>>> away.
>>>
>>>
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>>
>>
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