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Parabola GNU/Linux-libre RSS Feed DistroWatch.com: Parabola GNU/Linux-libre

Parabola GNU/Linux-libre


Last Update: 2026-02-08 01:17 UTC

Parabola GNU/Linux-libre is an unofficial "libre" variant of Arch Linux. It aims to provide a fully free (as in freedom) distribution based on the packages of the Arch Linux project, with packages optimised for i686 and x86_64 processors. The goal is to give the users complete control over their systems with 100% "libre" software. Parabola GNU/Linux-libre is listed by the Free Software Foundation (FSF) as a fully free software distribution. Besides a standard installation CD image, the project also provides a live/rescue DVD image with MATE as the default desktop environment.

Average visitor rating: 8.2/10 from 6 review(s).

Parabola Summary
Distribution Parabola GNU/Linux-libre
Home Page https://parabola.nu/
Mailing Lists https://lists.parabola.nu//mailman/listinfo/
User Forums --
Alternative User Forums
Documentation https://wiki.parabola.nu/
Screenshots --
Screencasts
Download Mirrors https://parabola.nu/download/ • DistroWatch Torrent Archive
Bug Tracker https://labs.parabola.nu/
Related Websites  
Reviews 2017: DistroWatch
2011: OSNews
Where To Donate, Buy or Try

Recent Related News and Releases
  Releases announcements with download links and checksums:
 • 2016-07-29: Distribution Release: Parabola GNU/Linux-libre 2016.07.27
 • 2012-10-29: Distribution Release: Parabola GNU/Linux 2012.10.17
 • More Parabola releases...

  Headlines:
 • 2025-07-15 Parabola requires manual intervention for OpenRC update
 • 2021-08-12 Parabola adds accessibility option and installer
 • 2018-08-21 Parabola replaces unar
 • 2017-11-14 Parabola keeps 32-bit alive
 • 2017-10-19 Parabola makes OpenRC spin
 • More Parabola headlines...

Table Notes and Explanations

(Please refer to the table below.)
  • Select view:
  • To compare the software in this project to the software available in other distributions, please see our Compare Packages page.
  • Notes: In case where multiple versions of a package are shipped with a distribution, only the default version appears in the table. For indication about the GNOME version, please check the "nautilus" and "gnome-shell" packages. The Apache web server is listed as "httpd" and the Linux kernel is listed as "linux". The KDE desktop is represented by the "plasma-desktop" package and the Xfce desktop by the "xfdesktop" package.
  • Colour scheme: green text = latest stable version, red text = development or beta version. The function determining beta versions is not 100% reliable due to a wide variety of versioning schemes.
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Feature 2024.02 2021.08.11 2020.01.18 2019.03.11 2018.12.22 2017.11.05 2016.11.03 2015.05.01 2013.09.01 2012.10.17 2011.09.01 Feature
Release Date 2024-02-21 2021-08-11 2020-01-18 2019-03-18 2018-12-23 2017-11-05 2016-11-03 2015-05-01 2013-09-11 2012-10-17 2011-09-01 Release Date
End Of Life                       End Of Life
Price (US$) Free Free Free Free Free Free Free Free Free Free Free Price (US$)
Image Size (MB) 400-500 900-1800 800-1900 800-1900 800-1900 700-1900           Image Size (MB)
Free Download ISO ISO ISO ISO ISO ISO ISO ISO ISO ISO ISO Free Download
Installation Text mode Text mode Text mode Text mode Text mode Text mode Text mode Text mode Text mode Text mode Text mode Installation
Default Desktop -- LXDE LXDE LXDE LXDE LXDE MATE -- -- -- -- Default Desktop
Default Browser                       Default Browser
Package Format pkg pkg pkg pkg pkg pkg pkg pkg pkg pkg pkg Package Format
Package Management                       Package Management
Release Model Rolling Rolling Rolling Rolling Rolling Rolling Rolling Rolling Rolling Rolling Rolling Release Model
Office Suite GOffice GOffice GOffice GOffice GOffice GOffice GOffice -- -- -- -- Office Suite
Processor Architecture i686 i686, x86_64 i686, x86_64 i686, x86_64 i686, x86_64 i686, x86_64 i686, x86_64 i686, x86_64 i686, x86_64 i686, x86_64 i686, x86_64 Processor Architecture
Init Software systemd OpenRC, systemd OpenRC OpenRC OpenRC systemd OpenRC systemd systemd systemd SysV Init Software
Journaled File Systems Btrfs, ext3, ext4, JFS, ReiserFS, XFS Btrfs, ext3, ext4, JFS, ReiserFS, XFS Btrfs, ext3, ext4, JFS, ReiserFS, XFS Btrfs, ext3, ext4, JFS, ReiserFS, XFS Btrfs, ext3, ext4, JFS, ReiserFS, XFS Btrfs, ext3, ext4, JFS, ReiserFS, XFS Btrfs, ext3, ext4, JFS, ReiserFS, XFS Btrfs, ext3, ext4, JFS, ReiserFS, XFS Btrfs, ext3, ext4, JFS, ReiserFS, XFS Btrfs, ext3, ext4, JFS, ReiserFS, XFS Btrfs, ext3, ext4, JFS, ReiserFS, XFS Journaled File Systems
Multilingual   en, eo, es, fr, gl, it, pl, pt_BR en, eo, es, fr, gl, it, pl, pt_BR en, eo, es, fr, gl, it, pl, pt_BR en, eo, es, fr, gl, it, pl, pt_BR en, eo, es, fr, gl, it, pl, pt_BR en, es, gl, pt_BR en en en en Multilingual
Full Package List 2024.02 2021.08.11 2020.01.18 2019.03.11 2018.12.22 2017.11.05 2016.11.03 2015.05.01 2013.09.01 2012.10.17 2011.09.01 Full Package List

Full Package List:   Parabola GNU/Linux-libre 2011.09.01
  Number of packages: 172 (download as TXT)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  •  acl 2.2.51-1
  •  aif-libre 2011.08.31-1
  •  attr 2.4.46-1
  •  bash 4.2.010-1
  •  binutils 2.21.1-2
  •  btrfs-progs-unstable 0.19.20101006-1
  •  bzip2 1.0.6-1
  •  ca-certificates 20110421-3
  •  coreutils 8.12-3
  •  cracklib 2.8.18-1
  •  crda 1.1.1-3
  •  cronie 1.4.8-1
  •  cryptsetup 1.3.1-2
  •  curl 7.21.7-1
  •  db 5.2.28-1
  •  dbus-core 1.4.14-1
  •  ddrescue 1.14-1
  •  device-mapper 2.02.88-1
  •  dhclient 4.2.1.1-1
  •  dhcpcd 5.2.12-1
  •  dialog 1.1_20110707-1
  •  diffutils 3.1-1
  •  dmraid 1.0.0.rc16.3-2
  •  dnsmasq 2.58-1
  •  dnsutils 9.8.0.P4-1
  •  dosfstools 3.0.11-1
  •  e2fsprogs 1.41.14-1
  •  elinks 0.13-9
  •  eventlog 0.2.12-2
  •  expat 2.0.1-6
  •  file 5.08-1
  •  filesystem 2011.08-1.1
  •  findutils 4.4.2-3
  •  fuse 2.8.5-1
  •  gawk 4.0.0-1
  •  gc 7.1-3
  •  gcc-libs 4.6.1-4
  •  gdbm 1.8.3-8
  •  gettext 0.18.1.1-3
  •  glib2 2.28.8-1
  •  glibc 2.14-5
  •  gmp 5.0.2-3
  •  gnu-netcat 0.7.1-3
  •  gnutls 3.0.1-1
  •  gpm 1.20.6-6
  •  grep 2.9-1
  •  groff 1.21-1
  •  grub 0.97-20
  •  gzip 1.4-2
  •  hdparm 9.37-1
  •  heirloom-mailx 12.5-2
  •  iana-etc 2.30-2
  •  idnkit 1.0-1
  •  inetutils 1.8-3
  •  initscripts 2011.06.4-2
  •  iproute2 2.6.39-1
  •  iputils 20101006-1
  •  irssi 0.8.15-5
  •  iw 3.0-1
  •  jfsutils 1.1.15-2
  •  js 1.8.5-3
  •  kbd 1.15.3-1
  •  keyutils 1.5.2-1
  •  krb5 1.9.1-3
  •  less 444-1
  •  lftp 4.3.1-2
  •  libarchive 2.8.4-2
  •  libcap 2.22-1
  •  libedit 20110802_3.0-1
  •  libevent 2.0.12-1
  •  libfetch 2.33-3
  •  libgcrypt 1.5.0-1
  •  libgpg-error 1.10-1
  •  libgssglue 0.3-1
  •  libidn 1.22-1
  •  libldap 2.4.26-3
  •  libnl 1.1-2
  •  libpcap 1.1.1-2
  •  libpipeline 1.2.0-1
  •  libproxy 0.4.7-1
  •  librpcsecgss 0.19-5
  •  libsasl 2.1.23-7
  •  libssh2 1.2.9-1
  •  libtasn1 2.9-1
  •  libtirpc 0.2.2-2
  •  libui-sh 2011.08.31-1
  •  libusb 1.0.8-1
  •  libusb-compat 0.1.3-1
  •  libxml2 2.7.8-1
  •  licenses-libre 2.8-1
  •  lilo 23.2-3
  •  linux-api-headers 3.0.1-1
  •  linux-atm 2.5.1-2
  •  linux-libre 3.0.4-1
  •  logrotate 3.8.0-2
  •  lua 5.1.4-6
  •  lvm2 2.02.88-1
  •  lzo2 2.05-1
  •  man-db 2.6.0.2-2
  •  man-pages 3.32-1
  •  mdadm 3.2.2-3
  •  memtest86+ 4.20-1
  •  mkinitcpio 0.7.2-1
  •  mkinitcpio-busybox 1.18.5-1
  •  mkinitcpio-nfs-utils 0.2-1
  •  module-init-tools 3.16-1
  •  mtools 4.0.17-1
  •  nano 2.2.6-1
  •  nbd 2.9.23-1
  •  ncurses 5.9-1
  •  netcfg 2.6.8-1
  •  nettle 2.2-1
  •  net-tools 1.60-18
  •  nfsidmap 0.24-2
  •  nfs-utils 1.2.4-2
  •  nilfs-utils 2.0.23-1
  •  nmap 5.51-1
  •  nspr 4.8.9-1
  •  ntfs-3g 2011.4.12-1
  •  ntfsprogs 2011.4.12-1
  •  ntp 4.2.6.p3-3
  •  openconnect 1:3.11-1
  •  openssh 5.8p2-9
  •  openssl 1.0.0.d-1
  •  openvpn 2.2.1-1
  •  pacman 3.5.4-4
  •  pacman-mirrorlist-libre 20110530-1
  •  pam 1.1.4-1
  •  parted 3.0-3
  •  pciutils 3.1.7-4
  •  pcmciautils 018-1
  •  pcre 8.13-2
  •  perl 5.14.1-3
  •  popt 1.16-3
  •  ppp 2.4.5-2
  •  pptpclient 1.7.2-3
  •  procps 3.2.8-4
  •  psmisc 22.14-1
  •  readline 6.2.001-2
  •  reiserfsprogs 3.6.21-3
  •  rpcbind 0.2.0-3
  •  rp-pppoe-libre 3.10-7
  •  rsync 3.0.8-2
  •  run-parts 3.4.4-1
  •  sed 4.2.1-3
  •  shadow 4.1.4.3-2
  •  smartmontools 5.41-1
  •  sysfsutils 2.1.0-6
  •  syslinux 4.04-2
  •  syslog-ng 3.2.4-3
  •  sysvinit 2.88-2
  •  tar 1.26-1
  •  tcpdump 4.1.1-2
  •  texinfo 4.13a-5
  •  tre 0.8.0-1
  •  tzdata 2011h-1
  •  udev 173-3
  •  usbutils 004-1
  •  util-linux 2.19.1-3
  •  vi 1:050325-1
  •  vpnc 0.5.3.svn457-1
  •  wget 1.13.1-1
  •  which 2.20-4
  •  wireless-regdb 2010.11.24-1
  •  wireless_tools 29-4
  •  wpa_actiond 1.1-2
  •  wpa_supplicant 0.7.3-3
  •  xfsprogs 3.1.5-1
  •  xz 5.0.3-1
  •  your-freedom 20110821-1
  •  zile 2.3.24-1
  •  zlib 1.2.5-4


Reader Ratings
Reader supplied reviews for Parabola GNU/Linux-libre

Average rating
8.2
from 6 review(s)
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Past reviews - sort by:

Version: 2021.08.11
Rating: 9
Date: 2023-08-27
Votes: 2


 I use the current Parabola with SystemD and Linux-Libre Kernel 5.15.88. I installed LXDE, for having a lightweight desktop.
Everything works stable as expected. I use wired Ethernet, so I don't know about working Wi-Fi.
I like to have an nearly empty system with just a few LXDE apps. I only install the needed apps and have a clean and fast system. But if one like to have a bigger desktop environment, Gome oder KDE should be no problem. For me LXDE is more than enough.
Icecat 102.5.0esr with LibreJS, JShelter, TPRB, HTTPS Everywhere, Privacy Redirect as the default add-ons and additional default security tweeks make browsing safe and secure.
I installed a second browser, Gnome Web, for pages, not working with Icecat.
The rolling release made the update after Installation very easy. Works like Archlinux, just only with free (as in freedom) software. I'm very satisfied with Parabola. There is a good installation guide and a Wiki. If this isn't enough, one can look into the Archlinux Wiki.
Parabola is very good for a daily driver, no doubt. The only alternative free Linux for me is Trisquel, which runs on another machine. But Parabola is stable enough and I will use it further. Give it a try.


Was this review helpful? Yes No
Version: 2021.08.11
Rating: 9
Date: 2023-06-09
Votes: 4


 Great distro overall, just like arch without non-free software and includes 32-bit support, The only real problem you will encounter will be installation media, do not, i repeat do not use iso's published on the website they're outdated by over a year, on rolling release that's ancient, for your sanity do a quick arch/artix installation and migrate as quickly as possible. It's not a good distro for a beginer, you will encounter problems along the way (just like with arch, that's expected). I recommend this distro for anyone with supported hardware (as it obviously dosen't use non-free drivers) and with basic GNU/Linux knowledge.


Was this review helpful? Yes No
Version: 2021.08.11
Rating: 10
Date: 2022-09-27
Votes: 8


 If you love Arch but are concerned for your software freedom, this distro is excellent. It prevents you from accidentally installing nonfree software by checking for conflicts with the conveniently named package "your-freedom". It may be a slight inconvenience to set up the keyrings, yet that should not be problematic for someone who enjoys Arch.

Apart from warning you about nonfree packages, there are no further restrictions. It does not truly prevent you from installing nonfree software, but it gives you a nice heads up.




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