Review: Trisquel 4.0.1 LTS "Taranis"

Main Screen + Main Menu

I've read a couple of reviews of Trisquel GNU/Linux, an Ubuntu-based distribution which aims to remove as much non-free (i.e. proprietary) software from the kernel and distribution as possible. There are a couple other distributions that do this, like Slackware-based Kongoni, KNOPPIX-based Musix, and Fedora-based BLAG. However, as stated by Jim Lynch in his review of Trisquel 4.0 LTS "Taranis", quite a few of these other pure-free software distributions, such as Musix, BLAG, and DYNE:BOLIC, share a few common features which all conspire to turn off potential new users: incomplete/amateurish websites, too much talk about "overthrows" of proprietary software or free software "revolutions" (to the detriment of promoting the features of the OS itself), and less-than-user-friendly DEs/WMs (e.g. WindowMaker). It seems like using these distributions would be like wearing a cilice (also called a hair-shirt, a shirt medieval Christian monks used to wear with rough animal hair on the inside; the monks used to wear these to repent by causing themselves physical pain) — good for the soul and conscience, but not very comfortable and not something I would want to do. By contrast, Trisquel (whose code name for this release is, ironically, "Taranis", the Gallic thunder deity) has a very professional-looking website, uses a well-tailored implementation of GNOME, and touts the benefits of free software and of using Trisquel without getting preachy or heavy-handed. Taking the previous analogy further, it seems like using Trisquel would be more like wearing a comfortable jacket. Seeing the website and presentation of the distribution didn't turn me off, so I decided to proceed downloading the ISO file of the standard edition.
As this is an Ubuntu derivative, there's really no point in testing the installation procedure. What I'm looking for is compatibility with my hardware as well as the overall quality of the live session. Hence, after the download finished, I made a live USB system with UnetBootin, rebooted, changed the boot order in the BIOS, and went on my way. Follow the jump to see the results of that.

Unbranded Web Browser + OpenOffice,org

After the boot menu, I was greeted with a really weird-looking Plymouth boot splash. The reason for this is because derivatives of Ubuntu 10.04 LTS "Lucid Lynx" default to 8-bit graphics (at least on my computer) when rendering Plymouth, when the required setting is actually 16- or 32-bit. I've changed this in my installed Linux Mint 9 LTS "Isadora" system, and derivatives of Ubuntu 10.10 "Maverick Meerkat" have fixed this issue, but as this was a live session of an Ubuntu 10.04 LTS derivative, this problem recurred. It wasn't too big a deal, but it did somewhat spoil an otherwise cool-looking splash that featured the Trisquel logo pulsating. Directly after the boot splash came the desktop.
The desktop looks pretty neat, with a swirl of colors on a dark canvas as the background. There's just one dark-colored GNOME panel present on the bottom, containing a main menu (a standard GNOME menu, nothing special), shortcuts to the file and web browsers, a window switcher, and a system tray. The panel and menu are slightly transparent, which is a nice touch. The window switcher is somewhat different in that if one window is open, its button is large, but if more than one window is open, the set of buttons become smaller and split into 2 rows à la KDE 3.5 Kicker. Given that the GNOME panel is slightly larger here, it's a good way to save space, yet the buttons don't appear incredibly tiny, which is nice. The default GTK+ theme is Elementary with the corners squared off, while the default icon theme is Elementary with a couple icons changed to match the Trisquel branding. Overall, the desktop looks very appealing.

PackageKit + TAB-key Window Switcher

Upon seeing a globe with a pointer over it as the icon for the web browser, I thought it would be a browser with fewer features like Epiphany. Thankfully, this wasn't the case; the web browser is just Mozilla Firefox minus the branding (because the Mozilla Firefox name and logo are trademarked and thus go against the principles of free software). That said, proprietary codecs are not present and are replaced by free software alternatives where possible; for example, Adobe Flash is replaced by Gnash. Unfortunately, Gnash didn't work so well; YouTube reported errors trying to play various videos. That's a pretty big issue for me.
OpenOffice.org is present as well, which is nice (though the default icon theme looks kind of ugly).
Although Trisquel does use the Elementary theme, it doesn't include the Nautilus Elementary mod, so Nautilus looks kind of cluttered. Oh well, that's not too big a deal.
Cheese Webcam Booth was present for me to test my webcam and mic; thankfully, both of these worked without issue.
Some other pieces of software present include Exaile (a GTK+ port of Amarok), an OGG converter (in support of the libre OGG format), and a couple GNOME Games, along with the typical GNOME accessories and utilities.

"Expo" Desktop Effect

Ubuntu Software Center isn't present; instead, Trisquel uses the old PackageKit package manager (listed as "Add/Remove Programs", alongside Synaptic Package Manager), which still works pretty well. Of course, as Trisquel is completely free from proprietary software, applications like Skype aren't present, which also presents a pretty big issue for me. Chromium is present, but I don't know that it can play YouTube videos using HTML5 (as opposed to Gnash) because it uses the proprietary H.264 standard (instead of the libre OGG) to render HTML5, so I'm not sure using Chromium would make a difference in that regard. Surprisingly, Banshee is present in the repositories, even though it's been written in Mono (the port of the C# programming language to Linux); although Mono is free software, there have been concerns about what Microsoft may do to it in the near future, so organizations like the Free Software Foundation (FSF, which also has a list of pure-free software distributions including Trisquel) have recommended against its use. Given that fact, I was somewhat puzzled by Banshee's presence. Similarly, the Mono-based Tomboy note-taking application is present in the repositories, though the Mono-free Gnote is installed by default.
After looking at applications, I tried out various desktop effects. I was pleasantly surprised to see that desktop effects were automatically enabled. I tried out the various effects and they all work very smoothly and without issue.
Well, that's all I have to say about Trisquel. I appreciate goals of the distribution and the time and effort put into all parts of the presentation of this distribution. That said, the Gnash issues and lack of Skype mean that I won't be using this on a regular basis anytime soon. This distribution is probably good for someone who has somewhat more limited needs (i.e. doesn't need Skype, doesn't watch YouTube so much, and in any case, MiniTube is available and works without Adobe Flash) or someone who truly cares about not using proprietary software.