DiffOS is For Freedom

DiffOS is a GNU/Linux distribution, modeled after Debian, striving to meet the Free System Distribution Guidelines (GNU FSDG). Its aim is to become a recognized Free GNU/Linux distribution. The distribution supports all architectures compatible with Debian and offers containers, cloud images, live CDs, and installer ISOs. It follows an upstream-first policy, favoring changes to be made in Debian, and only considering DiffOS if changes cannot be made there.

Binary packages are reused as much as possible, and modifications to source-level Debian packages are made only when required by the FSDG or by the Debian project. A list of added, removed, or modified packages compared to Debian is published, along with Diffoscope-style outputs comparing artifacts. The distribution is built from CI/CD pipelines, inspired by the Salsa CI pipeline, and also takes inspiration from Trisquel GNU/Linux and PureOS.

It is currently hosted on GitLab.com, with plans to allow setup on self-hosted GitLab instances, Codeberg.org, or Forgejo. The DiffOS archive project manages the package archive, including scripts to merge packages from Debian. Current supported suites are trixie, bookworm, and bullseye, with archives published at specific URLs.

DiffOS packages are developed per-package, with CI/CD pipelines building binaries, which are then manually merged into the archive. Lists of differences between Debian and DiffOS are continuously monitored and summarized. Diffoscope comparisons of artifacts are planned, and reviewing packages for branding and freedom concerns is likely an ongoing task.

Inspiration and cooperation with Trisquel and PureOS will aid in these efforts. Automated repository import, merge, and generation in CI/CD is planned, currently performed manually. A Forgejo codeberg.com variant is a long-term goal. The main www.diffos.org website has been public since September 4, 2026. Issues can be filed in the DiffOS issue tracker, and packages are licensed under various free software licenses, all believed to be free software and complying with the FSDG guidelines.