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so this would be the first closed linux distro in history. An ironic milestone for the open source community. or have I missed something?

ultramancool 11y ago
Well, depends on what you consider a Linux distro, there are many Android ROMs that are closed in a similar way, including those from phone manufacturers, where kernel sources are released but nothing else, there definitely existed before Remix OS. Does Android really qualify as a Linux distro? Does a Linux distro need a GNU system behind it? Because that's missing here, no glibc, no coreutils, etc. This is why some people have been insisting on calling it GNU/Linux all along, it can create ambiguity in situations like this. Linux is after all, just a kernel.
- gtk40 11y ago
  Since there are various systems which use the Linux kernel without the GNU userland, it can make GNU/Linux more important as a term, in contrast to Android and others. Although I have wondered if OS like Maemo, which use Busybox instead of GNU, should be considered Busybox/Linux. :)
- chc4 11y ago
  It's definitely still a Linux distro. It's just not a GNU/Linux distribution, but Bionic/Linux.
mtgx 11y ago
It's more like a closed Android ROM/distro, which isn't that uncommon. CyanogenOS isn't open source either.
sowbug 11y ago
"First" is a difficult claim to sustain. But Tivo is a better candidate for the most notable early one, as it was a major motivator for GPL v3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tivoization https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tivoization
masmullin 11y ago
"or have I missed something?" You've missed nearly every Android OEM build. The AOSP being open for Nexusis the exception, not the norm.
- voltagex_ 11y ago
  Even with a Nexus there's a reasonable difference between AOSP and the Factory Image - I don't think you'll get HDR or panorama photography on AOSP (without flashing a GApps bundle)

ultramancool 11y ago

Well, depends on what you consider a Linux distro, there are many Android ROMs that are closed in a similar way, including those from phone manufacturers, where kernel sources are released but nothing else, there definitely existed before Remix OS. Does Android really qualify as a Linux distro? Does a Linux distro need a GNU system behind it? Because that's missing here, no glibc, no coreutils, etc. This is why some people have been insisting on calling it GNU/Linux all along, it can create ambiguity in situations like this. Linux is after all, just a kernel.

gtk40 11y ago
Since there are various systems which use the Linux kernel without the GNU userland, it can make GNU/Linux more important as a term, in contrast to Android and others. Although I have wondered if OS like Maemo, which use Busybox instead of GNU, should be considered Busybox/Linux. :)
chc4 11y ago
It's definitely still a Linux distro. It's just not a GNU/Linux distribution, but Bionic/Linux.

mtgx 11y ago

It's more like a closed Android ROM/distro, which isn't that uncommon. CyanogenOS isn't open source either.

sowbug 11y ago

"First" is a difficult claim to sustain. But Tivo is a better candidate for the most notable early one, as it was a major motivator for GPL v3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tivoization https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tivoization

masmullin 11y ago

"or have I missed something?" You've missed nearly every Android OEM build. The AOSP being open for Nexusis the exception, not the norm.

voltagex_ 11y ago
Even with a Nexus there's a reasonable difference between AOSP and the Factory Image - I don't think you'll get HDR or panorama photography on AOSP (without flashing a GApps bundle)