3 ways to get Linux release information from bash terminal

Let’s say you’ve manage to get yourself into a GNU/Linux bash terminal. What can you do in order to determine its distro and release information? Listed here are the three methods to get release information of a running GNU/Linux box.

lsb_release method
You can type “lsb_release -a”

Cat /etc/proc/release method

/etc/*release and /etc/*issue method
Alternatively, you could try typing “cat /etc/*release” or “cat /etc/*issue”.

Cat /etc/proc/release method

/proc/version method
If else fails, you could always try the “cat /proc/version” method to see where the kernel came from.

Cat /etc/proc/release method

Hope this would help!

vrms – check your Ubuntu for Non-free packages (Virtual Richard M Stallman)

vrms is an application that checks for non-free packages or components installed in your Debian-based system (including Ubuntu) and subsequently display a statistic of how many percentage of your system is non-free.

vrms can be installed using Synaptic Package Manager :

VRMS - Virtual Richard Stallman

To execute it, just type “vrms” in the terminal, here’s an example of vrms output for my system :
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mypapit@mypapit-desktop:~$ vrms
Non-free packages installed on mypapit-desktop

bsdgames-nonfree rogue, the classic dungeon exploration game
Reason: No commercial use
fglrx-modaliases Identifiers supported by the ATI graphics driver
latex2html LaTeX to HTML translator
linux-generic Complete Generic Linux kernel
linux-restricted-modules- Non-free Linux 2.6.28 modules helper script
linux-restricted-modules- Restricted Linux modules for generic kernels
nvidia-173-modaliases Modaliases for the NVIDIA binary X.Org driver
nvidia-180-modaliases Modaliases for the NVIDIA binary X.Org driver
nvidia-71-modaliases Modaliases for the NVIDIA binary X.Org driver
nvidia-96-modaliases Modaliases for the NVIDIA binary X.Org driver
rar Archiver for .rar files
sun-java6-bin Sun Java(TM) Runtime Environment (JRE) 6 (architecture
sun-java6-demo Sun Java(TM) Development Kit (JDK) 6 demos and example
sun-java6-jdk Sun Java(TM) Development Kit (JDK) 6
sun-java6-jre Sun Java(TM) Runtime Environment (JRE) 6 (architecture
sun-java6-plugin The Java(TM) Plug-in, Java SE 6
tangerine-icon-theme Tangerine Icon theme

Contrib packages installed on mypapit-desktop

jetty Java servlet engine and webserver
nvidia-common Find obsolete NVIDIA drivers
openttd reimplementation of Transport Tycoon Deluxe with enhan

17 non-free packages, 1.1% of 1601 installed packages.
3 contrib packages, 0.2% of 1601 installed packages.
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So if you prefer a completely free (as in freedom!) operating system, you can use install gNewsense instead of Ubuntu.