Home

F.A.Q.

Send a question


What is Trisquel?

Trisquel GNU/Linux is a 100% free operating system. It comes with a complete selection of programs that can be easily extended using a graphical installer. There are home, enterprise and educational editions available.

How was this project born?

Trisquel is an open project set in motion by the University of Vigo and developed by a volunteer community with support from the Ourense Science Faculty, the Ourense Computer Science High School and the work at initiatives such as Sognus. The project was born out of the necessity to create a free operating system with Galician language support. It was officially presented on April 2005 with the presence and support of Richard Stallman, founder of the Free Software Foundation.

What does it mean to be Free Software?

Free software, unlike propietary, is known to respect its users essential rights, to ensure they can:

  • run the program, for any purpose
  • study how the program works, and adapt it to their needs (Access to the source code is a precondition for this).
  • redistribute copies so they can help anyone
  • improve the program, and release their improvements (and modified versions in general) to the public, so that the whole community benefits. Once again, access to the source code is a precondition for this
How can I get Trisquel? How much does it cost?

It's just a download away, it's also free "as in free beer".

How can I help the project?

In many ways! Here are some:

  • Using Trisquel, and sharing it with your friends and family.
  • Report issues and bugs that you find, and suggesting improvements.
  • Helping in the forums.
  • Writing and translating documentation.
  • Translating applications.
  • And if you have experience developing software, helping in the maintenance of the system.

    If you would like to volunteer, write us.

    • Which edition of Trisquel is best for me?

    Trisquel has several editions, which share a common base and contain different sets of software packages.

  • The main Trisquel is for personal use. It includes multimedia players for audio and video, graphic design software, a networking manager, web browser, instant messaging client, p2p client, games, etc.
  • Trisquel Pro is designed for office and small business use. It contains no entertainment software but is filled with applications for management, accounting, billing, point of sale, finance, diagramming, and more.
  • Trisquel Edu is for educational centers, from primary schools to universities. It has thin-client support by default and allows an instructor to create a personalized virtual classroom within minutes.

    All of our distributions are available as LiveCDs so that you can try the system without installing.

    • Which languages is Trisquel available in?

    Trisquel was born in the Galicia region of Spain, so the primary language was Galician, and Castilian and English were also included. In version 2.0, Catalan and Basque were added, and in version 3.0 Portuguese, French, Hindi, and Chinese were added. The default language is English, but you can select another from the outset.

    The installer lets you select many other languages to be downloaded and configured during the installation process. Extra languages can also be installed from Menu Bar → System → Administration → Language Support.

    How can I get help and support?

    Trisquel GNU/Linux includes support and manuals. The website includes documentation and support forums that function as convenient front-ends for mailing lists.

    If you want to recruit support for your business or school, team Sognus (business partner of the project) can give you the help you need.

    Does Trisquel include proprietary software?

    No, none whatsoever. If you find any part of the system not covered by a free license, let us know and we will replace or remove it.

    Note in particular that no binary-only firmware for wireless cards or proprietary drivers for AMD/ATI and NVIDIA graphics cards are included.

    Under what license is Trisquel distributed?

    Trisquel is a composed only of free software packages, under the criteria of the Free Software Foundation. To read the license of each specific package, refer to /usr/share/doc/[program name]/copyright.

    The user has the right to copy, modify, and redistribute this software, as well as use it in any number of computers and for any purpose.

    Trisquel is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY, without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or without ensuring FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.