GNewSense facts for kids
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gNewSense 4.0
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| Company / developer | Current: Matt Lee former: Sam Geeraerts, K.Goetz, Brian Brazil and Paul O'Malley |
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| OS family | Linux (Unix-like) |
| Working state | discontinued |
| Initial release | November 2, 2006 |
| Latest stable release | 4.0  / Error: first parameter is missing. |
| Latest unstable release | 4.0 Alpha 1 / 2 December 2014 |
| Update method | long term support |
| Package manager | apt (standard), Synaptic (Gtk+ frontend), dpkg (low-level system) |
| Supported platforms | amd64, i386, Loongson |
| Kernel type | Monolithic (Linux) |
| Userland | GNU |
| Default user interface | GNOME |
| License | FSDG |
gNewSense was a special type of computer operating system, like Windows or macOS, but it was based on Linux. It was active from 2006 to 2016. This system was built using parts of another system called Debian. The Free Software Foundation helped create it.
The main goal of gNewSense was to be easy for people to use. But it also had a very strict rule: it only used "free software." This means it removed all "proprietary software." Proprietary software is code that you can't freely use, change, or share. An example of this is "binary blobs," which are parts of software that you can't see or change.
The Free Software Foundation believed gNewSense was made entirely of free software. gNewSense was so strict that it even removed any instructions that showed how to install proprietary software.
The last version of gNewSense was released in 2016. It hasn't been officially supported since 2018. A website called DistroWatch, which tracks operating systems, now says gNewSense is "discontinued."
Contents
How gNewSense Started
The gNewSense project began in 2006. It was started by Brian Brazil and Paul O'Malley. At first, gNewSense was based on another Linux system called Ubuntu. When version 1.0 came out, the Free Software Foundation started helping the gNewSense team.
After a few years without new versions, DistroWatch said gNewSense was "dormant" in 2011. This means it seemed like the project was sleeping. But by September 2012, it was marked "active" again. Then, in August 2013, a new version called gNewSense 3 "Parkes" was released. This version was the first one directly based on Debian.
There have been hints that the project might start up again, like a website announcement in 2019. However, no new versions have been released since 2016. DistroWatch changed its status back to "dormant" in 2019 and then "discontinued" by 2022.
In 2021, the gNewSense website briefly showed a blank page with a funny internet picture. After that, it redirected to the website for PureOS, another operating system. Later in 2021, it started redirecting to the Free Software Foundation's list of free Linux systems.
How gNewSense Worked
By default, gNewSense used a desktop environment called GNOME. A desktop environment is what you see on your screen, like the icons, menus, and windows. You could change how the system looked by installing different parts, like other window managers.
gNewSense also had a tool called the Ubiquity installer. This tool let you install the operating system onto your computer's hard drive. You could do this directly from a "Live CD" without needing to restart your computer first. A Live CD lets you try out the operating system without installing it.
Besides basic system tools, gNewSense came with several useful programs. These included LibreOffice for documents and spreadsheets, GNOME Web for browsing the internet, Empathy for instant messaging, and GIMP for editing pictures. It also included tools for software development, like the GCC.
Installing gNewSense
You could use a Live CD to run gNewSense without installing it. This CD also allowed you to install the operating system onto your computer's hard drive. You could download these CD images to create your own Live CD.
gNewSense Versions
gNewSense had four main versions released over time:
| Version | Code name | Release date | Supported until | Based on | Supported architectures |
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| 1.0 | DeltaD | 2006-11-02 | 2008-05-01 | Ubuntu 6.06 "Dapper Drake" | N/A |
| 2.0 | DeltaH | 2008-04-30 | 2014-01-03 | Ubuntu 8.04 "Hardy Heron" | N/A |
| 3.0 | Parkes | 2013-08-06 | 2015-12-31 | Debian 6.0 "Squeeze" | i386, amd64, Lemote Yeeloong |
| 4.0 | Ucclia | 2016-05-02 | 2018-05-31 | Debian 7 "Wheezy" | i386, amd64, Lemote Yeeloong |
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Latest version
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In 2016, gNewSense announced that the next version would be 5.0, but it was never released.
How gNewSense Was Different
The gNewSense project did not offer any software "repositories" that contained non-free software. Repositories are like online stores where you can download programs. Most non-free documents and images were also removed from gNewSense.
When gNewSense was based on Ubuntu, it used a special version of the Firefox web browser called "BurningDog." This was done to avoid problems with trademarks. BurningDog also did not let you install non-free "plugins" for things like videos. Later, gNewSense 2.0 stopped using BurningDog and switched to the Epiphany web browser. Version 3.0 kept Web as the main browser but also included a changed version of Debian's Iceweasel browser. This version also did not offer access to proprietary add-ons.
Debian is another Linux system known for being strict about software licenses and free software. Both Debian and gNewSense carefully kept non-free software out of their official releases. However, Debian did offer unofficial places to download non-free software. gNewSense, on the other hand, never provided any programs that needed or suggested using non-free software. It also didn't make it easy to get proprietary software. This showed its strong commitment to free software.
gNewSense was first created from Ubuntu. Ubuntu itself was originally created from Debian. But starting with gNewSense 3.0, the system began to use Debian as its base. This was partly because Debian carefully separated its free software from the proprietary software it offered.
What gNewSense Couldn't Do
Because gNewSense only used free software, it couldn't support some computer hardware. This happened if the hardware needed special software called "firmware" that wasn't free. For example, some wireless network cards might not have worked.
Also, for a time, gNewSense removed support for 3D graphics. This was due to licensing issues with a program called Mesa 3D. But these issues were fixed, and 3D support became standard again starting with the 2.2 release.
See also
- Comparison of Linux distributions
- List of distributions based on Debian
- GNU/Linux naming controversy
Images for kids
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gNewSense 4.0 desktop screenshot
