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10 Linux distros: From different to dangerous

One of the great benefits of Linux is the ability to roll your own. Throughout the years, individuals, organizations, and even nation states have done just that. In this gallery, we're going to showcase some of those distros. Be careful, though. You may not want to load these, or if you do, put them in isolated VMs. We're not kidding when we say they could be dangerous.
By David Gewirtz, Senior Contributing Editor
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1 of 10 North Korea

Red Star Linux

This is North Korea's state-produced Linux environment. Given our recent report about North Korea's apparent theft of $2 billion via cyberattacks, we're not going to give you a link to download this distro. Instead, we're pointing you to the Wikipedia article. Be careful. We don't recommend running this.

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2 of 10 Moebuntu

Moebuntu

If you love (really, really love) manga and anime, you might want to customize your Ubuntu distribution with what is, essentially, an anime theme. We're not sure how safe this is for your computer, but it's definitely not safe for your eyes. It's dangerously bright and cheerful.

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3 of 10 Ubuntu Christian Edition

Ubuntu Christian Edition

Have a blessed grep. This is Ubuntu, with apps, backgrounds, and parental controls installed for devout Christians. There are a number of bible study and bible memorization apps, customized backgrounds, and even tight parental controls to help prevent the little ones from seeing inappropriate content. 

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4 of 10 David Gewirtz/ZDNET

Hannah Montana Linux

We. Have. No. Words. Look, this happened. We don't think it's dangerous. Painful, yes, but probably not dangerous. That said, please don't install this. Just try to wipe it from your awareness. Ever since we found this in our search for material for this gallery, we've tried to forget it exists. Someone made this. It boggles. The mind.

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5 of 10 David Gewirtz/ZDNET

Something deeply disturbing

We're not going to provide a link or even tell you its name, but in our search for unusual distros, we found one that was horribly racist and disgusting. We found it deeply painful to see something as open and versatile as Linux corrupted in this way. 

We can't even show you a screenshot, it's that revolting. But we thought you should know that hate even transcends technology. It's invaded Linux and it makes us very sad.

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6 of 10 Wikipedia

Sabily

Sabily, originally known as Ubuntu Muslim Edition or UbuntuME, was a customized Linux distro for Muslims. It is no longer being updated, but was active from about 2007 to 2011. It contained Arabic language support "out of the box," and, according to Wikipedia "a prayer times tool, a Qur'an study tool, and a Hijri calendar."

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7 of 10 Ubuntu Satanic Edition

Ubuntu Satanic Edition

Not sure what to tell you about this one. There are very few details on the distro's website, except the following rather warm "About" section, especially for something supposedly in league with the devil: 

"Ubuntu SE is a Linux distribution based on Ubuntu. It brings together the best free software and free metal music on one CD. You can also upgrade your existing Ubuntu installation with a comprehensive set of themes to make your desktop dark and malevolent. Don't worry; you can easily change your system back if you intend to recant."

So, there's that. And no, I don't recommend downloading or installing it.

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8 of 10 David Gewirtz/ZDNET

RebeccaBlackOS

I had to look this one up. Apparently, Rebecca Black is a YouTuber with 1.4 million subscribers. A SourceForge user named "nerdopolis" (because, of course he is) is apparently so into this young woman, he created a custom distro in her name. Apparently, what makes it special is that it includes a Wayland server, which is actually kind of interesting.

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9 of 10 Biebs

Biebian (Justin Bieber Linux)

You cannot make this up. There is a distro out there on SourceForge called Justin Bieber Linux. Why, you may ask. Go ahead. Ask, "Why?" According to the distro keeper, "The idea began on 4chan's /g/. Anyone who takes it too seriously is silly and needs to take a dump."

I couldn't have said it better.

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10 of 10 Photo by Luke Southern on Unsplash

Suicide Linux

So here's the happy premise of Suicide Linux: "Any time - any time - you type any remotely incorrect command, the interpreter creatively resolves it into rm -rf / and wipes your hard drive. It's a game. Like walking a tightrope. You have to see how long you can continue to use the operating system before losing all your data."

Because, just. Because. And no, I'm not providing you with a link. If you want to hurt yourself or your hard drive, you'll have to Google it yourself.

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