So I saw political compass memes a while ago and started making one, but then I started taking it too seriously and eventually turned it into a tier list. Idk if it makes sense to share it here, but idk where else to share such a thing. I also made a browser tier list, but idk where to share that either.
This whole thing is a png export of a pure svg image. For some of the logos, I had to make them either from scratch or by using gimp and inkscape to convert a png into an svg (imperfect but good enough).
Hopefully this is all formatted properly.
OS Tier List
S-Tier (reasonably secure operating system):
- Qubes OS
Advanced (complicated setup and configuration):
- Gentoo Linux
- Guix System
- Slackware Linux
- Linux From Scratch (LFS)
- Mobile NixOS
- NixOS
- Whonix
- Predator-OS
- Linux Kodachi
- Gentoo FreeBSD
Enhanced (optimized security and minimalism):
- Alpine Linux
- Hyperbola GNU/Linux-libre
- Chimera Linux
- EasyOS
- postmarketOS
- Tails
- Kicksecure
- NetHydra
- ParrotOS
- OpenBSD
- GrapheneOS
- Secureblue
Minimal (maximally mini resource use):
- Tiny Core Linux
- LibreCMC
- Void Linux
- Puppy Linux
- AsteroidOS
- Slitaz
- 4MLinux
- OpenWrt
- DragonFly BSD
- FreeBSD
- NetBSD
Indie & BSD (independent distros and BSD systems):
- PCLinuxOS
- Dynebolic
- KaOS
- Mageia
- LuneOS
- Solus
- AerynOS
- GNOME OS
- KDE Linux
- GhostBSD
Arch (reasonably fresh and arch-based):
- SystemRescue
- Parabola GNU/Linux-libre
- pearOS
- EndeavourOS
- Nemo Mobile
- Arch Linux Arm
- BlackArch Linux
- Archhurd
- Archcraft
- Nyarch
- Ageless Arch
- Arch Linux
- CachyOS
- Garuda Linux
Debian (reasonably stable and debian-based):
- Flora Linux-libre
- Genuen
- Devuan GNU+Linux
- Loc-OS
- antiX
- MX Linux
- Maemo Leste
- Mobian
- Emmabuntüs
- Linux Mint Debian Edition (LMDE)
- Ageless Linux
- Debian
- KNOPPIX
- PikaOS Linux
- RetroPie
- LibreElec
- Vanilla OS
Corpo-ish (corporation-created and/or dependent):
- Replicant
- Uruk GNU/Linux-libre
- Trisquel GNU/Linux
- AnduinOS
- Linux Lite
- UBports
- Xubuntu
- Lubuntu
- Kubuntu
- Linux Mint
- KDE neon
- Fedora
- Asahi Linux
- Bazzite
- Nobara Linux
- Rocky Linux
- AlmaLinux
- openSUSE
Corporate (corporation-owned and/or controlled):
- /e/OS
- Sailfish OS
- PureOS
- Manjaro Linux
- Raspberry Pi OS
- OSMC
- Kali Linux
- Zorin OS
- Tuxedo OS
- Pop!_OS
- elementary OS
- Ubuntu
- Proxmox
- SteamOS
- CentOS Stream
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)
- CloudLinux OS
- SUSE Linux Enterprise
- Unraid
Dubious (questionable and/or suspicious):
- Waydroid
- Artix Linux
- Omarchy
- OpenMandriva
Borderline (possibly dangerous and best to avoid):
- LineageOS
MALWARE (actively dangerous and harmful to use):
- android
- chromeOS
- Apple Operating Systems (macOS, iOS, etc.)
- Windows
- Red Star OS
Google's Android is in the Malware row because google is a nefarious surveillance advertising corporation, and their android offering is known for having trackers/spyware built-in. From what I've read, Android Open Source Project (AOSP) is to Android as Chromium is to Chrome, in that it's not as infested with google trackers/spyware while still being generally googled in the way that it phones home for ntp and dns connectivity checks.
You are correct that android does not yet require age-verification, and I'm kinda surprised you're the only one to have pointed this out so far. I simply didn't feel like waiting to share this tier list meme thing and didn't want to make it seem as though apple is the only one implementing age-verification.
LineageOS is not degoogled and will connect to google unless properly firewalled, which afaik cannot be done properly on-device. LineageOS is googled android, and google is a nefarious surveillance advertising corporation. So LineageOS is borderline malware in my eyes.
In contrast, GrapheneOS is fully degoogled and is also maximally secured, which is why I placed it in a much higher rank. Though, it is ultimately still android, so it's not for me. Android is under google's control and doesn't look like it will last indefinitely. I feel that android itself is a dead-end. Projects like GrapheneOS will have to do a hard fork away from android one day, or they will cease to exist as an option.
Waydroid is basically a containerized LineageOS which can at least be firewalled from the host os, but that's sub-optimal, which is why I have it one notch above LineageOS.
I had tried Waydroid on my linux phone, and the OpenSnitch firewall running in the host linux system flagged multiple google connections that Waydroid was attempting to make upon starting. Basic connectivity stuff, but googled nonetheless. I hadn't seen any disclaimers on their site about it, but I also hadn't seen anything about LineageOS advertising itself as degoogled in the first place. I view degoogled android as generally acceptable (though it's not for me), but googled android is unacceptable (in my view). So I placed Waydroid in the Dubious row to represent my unwillingness to recommend it.
As for Artix Linux, this repo, made in response to another repo, has this bit:
When attempting to click the link to see for myself, I still find that the artix forums are inaccessible, and so I can't see for myself. I remember seeing something mentioned on a reddit post or forum somewhere about the same sort of thing, which makes me think it's true. So I placed Artix in the Dubious row to represent my unwillingness to recommend it.
The other two distros in the Dubious row are Omarchy and OpenMandriva.
When researching Omarchy, I came across articles like this, this, and this detailing the many unpleasant aspects of the dev's character, including racism and transmisia. So I placed Omarchy in the Dubious row to represent my unwillingness to recommend it.
When researching OpenMandriva, I came across lots of links referring to it as "the non-woke linux distro" and their forum, which was and is accessible, was what I'd expected to see. Basically "non-political" politics, which tends to mean anti-. It was an unpleasant place, and I think the intention is to make it unpleasant for the types of people they hate so as to keep them away. So I placed OpenMandriva in the Dubious row to represent my unwillingness to recommend it.
tyvm 🩷
Wow, thanks for the in-depth explanations. I think I get it now.
You did mention 'political compass' in the description, but I'm guessing many people and I interpreted it a little differently, since the chart itself focuses on corpo vs non-corpo.
About LineageOS (and by extension Waydroid too) - maybe you could open issues about the connections to Google and point to the specific ones. Perhaps the devs would be entirely willing to change which servers LineageOS connects to by default. And if not, then maybe they'd explain why or how.
I was able to access the forum without any issues. Tl;dr - it looks like an off-topic discussion turned political; many mentions of neonazism, Marx, Lenin, and western propaganda. Then someone started throwing shit at an Alpine Linux dev, who happens to be trans. At first they didn't clearly state the 'issue', but I've been in many transphobic groups in the past, and I can tell you that's exactly what they meant. Later someone else said they were eating and upon seeing the dev's picture feel like vomiting. This is where I stopped reading, but the thread goes on for several more pages.
That's basically what it boils down to. The entire thread gives strong far-right and transphobic vibes, although not everyone participating demonstrated such views.
It should be noted that I have no idea who the people posting are. Some of their comments suggest they're Artix Linux devs, but I can't verify that right now. Maybe when I'm on a bigger screen later.