Are there pirated Linux distributions?

I am asking because I want to avoid pirating software. Do some distributions have proprietary software included, that cannot be legally copied?

In another post, I asked for recommendations for a Linux distibution to install on my new (my first!) laptop. One distribution recommended was Mandriva. There don't some to be many sites for downloading Mandriva. Is this because it contains proprietary code?

If so, can anyone name sites that are stringently legal and ethical in the US? I have noticed that many sites recommend Bittorent to download, and at the Bittorrent site there were many questionable downloads listed.

Mary

 

Open source software frequently uses torrents for downloading simply because it's faster getting the file from multiple sources. I could be wrong, but to my knowledge, due to the nature of open source, no linux distro's include any proprietary or pirated code. Perhaps Mandriva isn't one of the more popular ones, hence the smaller number of download sites? I'm not sure.

Basically my point is this -- pirating goes against open source philosophy, thus, you really don't need to worry about oss coming with anything illegal.

 

Oops, I guess what I really meant is "proprietary, or piratable, not pirated.

Mary

 

Bittorrent is the way to go if you want to download a linux distro.

Being that torrents are MUCH faster than downloading from mirror sites. (Atleast with Linux distros)

I usually download torrents at 400KB/s or higher.

 

Even though Linux software is free in both senses of the word, I am wondering if proprietary source can be included in a distribution with it. I am loading Ubuntu now. I finally realized that choosing a Linux distribution is not limiting me. I can always just install something else.

Unlike Windows, where the program is trying to prevent me from making copies, changing hardware, etc. I have less than a week left to get a cash refund on my notebook. I want to make sure that if I make a horrible mess of my OS, I do it BEFORE that time is up.

BTW, my Ubuntu torrent (under Windows) never downloaded faster than 168 Kb/s, and at times, slowed down to 13 Kb/p. If it weren't that I wanted it NOW, it wouldn't be worth the headache.

Mary

 

There are some packages included with some distros (such as libdvdcss) that you should check for before installing. Some packages are illegal in some countries, because of DRM and other such junk. Also, some distros include things like proprietry GPU drivers, but those are not illegal to include with a distro.

 

Make sure you download the one that says DESKTOP (x86) iso I made a mistake a couple times being that links are so close together.

 

Linux distros that include proprietary code out of the box are usually charged for and not freely downloadable (.i.e. RHEL, SLES, Mandriva, Linspire, etc..). That's partly because they've licensed the proprietary parts and are mostly marketing these versions to either enterprise clients or people who dont want to mess with configuring things like multimedia capability themselves. Most of them offer an open source version of their distro for download minus any proprietary code. If you stick with names like Fedora, Ubuntu, Open SuSE, Debian, and Freespire you're usually pretty safe. Especially Debian as the developers are hardcore purists who take great pains to ensure that no proprietary code is included in their distro. The same can't be said of some other distros which originate outside of the U.S. (as Sylvain pointed out) whose copyright restrictions are not quite as stringent.

 

Mandriva and SLED are commercial products, companies want to make money off them. They usually have a free version and a commercial version.
Why use the commercial versions ? Because they run smoother, and have better hardware support.


Mandriva cannot be pirated, in that it doesnt need some code etc for activation, so if you get a mandriva distribution, you can legally use it. The only question is whether it can be legally *distributed*.

They usually have two versions, a "free" version that can be downloaded and distributed for free; and a "powerpack" version which has proprietary code/drivers, and which cannot be distributed for free.
They are however not TOO strict about the "powerpack" edition, on their legal page they indicate that magazines etc can distribute all versions, provided they obtain permission from mandriva first.
Thus, you wont see sites giving free downloads to the powerpack edition, or ebay sellers, but you CAN (legally) obtain powerpack products from online linux retailers (they have permisson from mandriva I presume).
Eg:
http://www.linuxcdshop.ca/item--Man...-1-DVD-Set--mandrivapowerpack2007i586DVD.html
http://www.linuxonline.biz/product_info.php?products_id=454784269

Cost of dvd shipped is usually less than $10.

So is downloading the powerpack version via bittorent legal ?
No, but its like jaywalking, mandriva is unlikely to come after you.
To be completely ethical, either 1)dowload free version or 2)Get the powerpack dvd/cds from online retailers for less than $10 or 3)Get powerpack dvd from a linux magazine.

Mandriva's download site seems to be a bit iffy right now, here is google's cacked version:
http://72.14.253.104/search?q=cache...d/free+mandriva+free&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=2

They have bittorent links for mandriva free.



Suse's SLED is based on their open and freely available OpenSuse.
SLED is usually a bit more polished. SLED 10 can be downloaded for free from Novell's website, as an evaluation version, the only restriction being that Novell will only provide online updates for 60 days.
However as SLED 10 is based on opensuse 10.1, individual packages can always be updated using opensuse's 10.1 packages (thats what I have been doing)

 

You can get SLED's functionality with SuSE 10.1. And remember, with a six month release cycle, SuSE should pull ahead in the hardware compatibility race fairly soon.

 

I kind of liked Mandriva, but I could not find a way that works to install driver from the MadWiFi site.

 

OpenSuse 10.1 had some major problems, people were not all that happy with it. SLED 10 has had much better reviews, this is why I recommend it.
OpenSuse is sort of a testbed for novell for their SLED releases.

That plus the fact that I've installed it painlessly on two laptops, and that its been workin great with out of the box support for my NVIDIA card with 3d desktop etc

 

Novell recently re-released OpenSuse10.1, a major lot of bugfixes are included in their new .isos.

 

Hmmm, when did they re-release ?

I think OpenSuse 10.2 is also scheduled to be released soon, early dec ?

 

Someone had recommended Mandriva. I found no download info on Mandriva's site, however, I found a torrent file on another site. Since one of the benefits of Linux is that there are plenty of free (beer) or low cost distrributions around, there is no good reason for me to copy software against it's author's wishes.

The Ubuntu CD I downloaded and burned is hanging up during the install. I have posted in the Ubuntu forum about this. Last night I downloaded the altenate version of Kubuntu (Since I have already been using KDE as my desktop on another machine.)


I will try installing from the Kbuntu alternate version I had planned to go to the public library today, and look for books with bundled with Linux, though I am likely to find only older Linux releases on the shelf. I ought to have just gone to a bookstore in the first place. I forgot that magazines often include CD's with them. I wouldn't mind spending $40 to $50 on a book or a software distribution, IF I knew that this machine would cooperate with Linux. I have been on-line so much that I forgot that there are actually stores that you can go into, and just walk out with your purchases.

I don't understand what you meant about the activation code. I wasn't even thinking of the ability to execute the program. I was mostly thinking that I prefer paying for software that the authors expect payment for. Isn't "pirated' software just anything that is unlawfully copied? (leaving aside the headache of where and where it is not copied.)

I also didn't realize that it was illegal to run certain software in certain places. I only thought that it was illegal to use the software to make unlawful copies. I don't know how it can be illegal to own a tool, such as a hammer, just because I COULD choose to use it to break a window and commit burglary. (I also make the mistake of being the 'ugly American' and forgetting that people do live in other countries. (LOL at myself) )

Thanks all,
Mary

 

Mandriva free is available at:
http://www.mandriva.com/en/download/free

SLED 10 can be downloaded at
http://www.novell.com/products/desktop/eval.html
(u will need to create an account, and novell send out a code)

 

The 5.10 and 6.06 version of Kubuntu hung during the install for me too. Specifically at qtParted. Try the 6.10 release, due out in under 24 hours!

Well, one of the issues is that by using the (for eg. libdvdcss) software, you circumvent some DRM software, costing companies money they would normally make. That's why some distros cannot play DVDs and MP3s out of the box. You can of course add that functionality easily if you are allowed to legally.

 

There are kindof 2 separate issues here. First is DRM and copy protection. DRM (digital rights management) is about protecting copyrighted content from unauthorised use. Often you'll find this on music, such as windows media formats. Basically you need a licence to be able to play the file. Another aspect of this is the use of CSS (content scrambling system, not style sheets), which is the encryption used on protected DVD videos. The problem, is that for a linux machine to be able to play these files, it needs to decrypt the data (der!).

This is where it gets tricky. See, because of the DMCA (digital millenium copyright act), CSS and DRM is protected from circumvention. The basic idea is that the systems used to protect copyrighted works are useless if the protections schemes themselves are not protected by law. This is why it is illegal in some countries (ie those that enforce DMCA or something similar), and why none (as far as I've tested) linux distos include the ability to play copyrighted dvds out of the box.


The second issue you mentioned (costing companies money and mp3) is to do with certain software patents. The reason most linux distributions can't play mp3s out of the box, is that the mp3 format is patented. It requires that anyone who releases an mp3 player to pay a licence fee (or something like that). As linux projects are generally volunteer work, nobody is really up for forking out the cash, so mp3 playing is often not supported out of the box. Suse can do it, because Novell is paying the fee.

So without getting into debate on software patents or copyright law - hope that clears things up a bit

 

I dont think Suse does it
I recall having to dload mp3 support, even for SLED 10.

So how does mp3 support from third party sites work ? They are not paying any fees, so technically are they doing somethign illegal ?

We should all switch over to flac or ogg formats, free, and superior to mp3

 

Hmm, I knew the open source Suse distro didn't, but for some reason I thought that the other one did. My bad.

As for the mp3 issue, I'm not a copyright lawyer, so I'm not completely sure. I believe the reason that you can get support for these things (mp3, dvds) from alternate repositories, is because they aren't illegal everywhere. The Ubuntu documentation includes a disclaimer saying that installing certain packages may not be legal in certain regions.

 

kororaa, a distro which was all the rage a few (well maybe more than a few) months ago was an example of a linux distrubtion that included non-gpl code and ran into trouble. The reason behind its popularity was a livedc that alllowed users to demo XGL on nvidia and ati cards. The nv & ati drivers were not gpl'd and the drivers were pulled. Kororaa is based on Gentoo. I havent followed the development in a while, but they have some news at the home page http://kororaa.org/