<A HREF="http://groups.google.com/groups?q=debian+spyware&hl=en&lr=lang_en&selm=hand ler.113155.D113155.100994628911878.ackdone%40bugs. debian.org&rnum=3">This</A> is what happens to spyware on <A HREF="http://www.debian.org/">Debian</A> linux.

Link is to a bug report filed regarding a program which sent the user's email address to login to a server - the patch stops this behaviour and changes login to a free cddb server instead of a commercial one. The free one works perfectly.

That's about as severe as the spyware problem gets on Debian, and that's the only package I could find which has ever had the label spyware applied, among some 4000 odd packages.

No, I tell a lie - here is <A HREF="http://groups.google.com/groups?q=debian+spyware&start=40&hl=en&lr=lang_en& selm=handler.126814.D126814.10097440008326.ackdone %40bugs.debian.org&rnum=48">another</A> - this time an ftp program which sends the real user name while logging into ftp servers.

Note that your milage with 'commercial' linux distributors may vary: Debian is totally non-commercial. I expect FreeBSD, NetBSD, and certainly OpenBSD would have similar anti-spyware attitudes. They are all additionally extremely robust and easily-maintained operating systems. Just follow the directions and ask questions on usenet & irc.

Nos