GNUcego
100% free GNU/Linux-libre · based on Debian Libre
A distribution of the GNU operating system with the GNU Linux-libre kernel, based on Debian Libre — without non-free firmware blobs (Wi-Fi, video or others), without contrib, non-free or non-free-firmware. Default browser GNU IceCat.
About
GNUcego was born from the desire to offer a complete, Portuguese-speaking operating system that respects your freedom. We believe a computer should belong to the person who uses it — not to companies that impose proprietary firmware blobs, trackers or software you cannot study, modify or share.
The bat mascot symbolizes this idea: it sees in the dark where others cannot, guided by sound — just as the project aims to guide its users through the clarity of free software, away from black boxes. It is maintained in Brazil by Prof. Dr. Wellton Costa de Oliveira, with its own 100% free repository.
Codenames
Instead of the Toy Story toy names used by Debian (trixie, forky), GNUcego names its releases after Afro-Brazilian culture:
Exu — the orixá who opens the paths and communicates. This is the stable release: the solid, reliable path, ready for those who need a system that just works.
Ogum — the orixá of iron and the forge, who shapes tools with fire and hammer. This is the testing release: the place where metal is beaten and transformed, for those who want to see what is being forged.
Download
GNUcego has two releases, named after Afro-Brazilian culture:
Exu — Stable (recommended)
Exu is the orixá who opens the paths. This is the stable release of GNUcego: solid, reliable, ready for daily use and the recommended choice for servers — frozen, well-tested packages, with no surprises between updates.
In the netinstall, the preseed is loaded automatically over the network (from repo.gnucego.com.br), not from the CD.
The live edition includes recovery tools (gparted, testdisk, gdisk, gddrescue, fsarchiver, smartmontools). The netinstall installs over the network, using only free repositories.
Interface variants (Exu)
Ogum — Testing
Ogum is the orixá of iron and the forge — where metal is beaten and shaped. This is the testing release of GNUcego: the next stable in the making, with newer software and constant change — just as secure as stable, but aimed at those who want to try what's coming.
Interface variants (Ogum)
Desktop environments
Included software
Also included: htop, vim, git, curl, wget, fastfetch, testdisk, gdisk, gddrescue, fsarchiver and smartmontools.
Configured repositories
Own repository in Brazil, 100% free (no contrib, non-free or non-free-firmware):
# Install the GNUcego repository key: wget https://repo.gnucego.com.br/gnucego-keyring.deb sudo dpkg -i gnucego-keyring.deb # GNUcego Exu (stable) — Debian Libre mirror + own packages (extra) deb https://repo.gnucego.com.br exu main extra deb https://repo.gnucego.com.br exu-security main deb https://repo.gnucego.com.br exu-updates main # GNUcego Ogum (testing) deb https://repo.gnucego.com.br ogum main extra
→ How the repository is kept 100% free (what goes in, what goes out and why, with the licenses and the cleanup script): GNUcego's free software policy.
Default login (live)
User: gnucego (no password, automatic login via LightDM). During installation, you define your own user.
How to test
# Write to a USB stick sudo dd if=gnucego-live-mate-amd64.iso of=/dev/sdX bs=4M status=progress # Or test on QEMU qemu-system-x86_64 -m 2G -cdrom gnucego-live-mate-amd64.iso