Open source

Linux’s Open Source Software

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Linux operating systems can give you significantly more control over your computer than any operating system made by Apple or Windows. That’s largely because Linux software is open source, which means you can see the coding and even revise it to suit your own needs. Every piece of free software is seen as a collective work in progress.

It is important to consider how different that perspective is from those used by big software companies. Even the most common Linux operating system, Ubuntu, is free and customizable. Windows, on the other hand, costs hundreds of dollars. What do you pay for when you buy Windows? Well, it is suited for people that don’t know much about computers. Anyone with much familiarity, though, will find that Linux freeware fits their needs much better.

Linux also gives users the opportunity to participate in a community of people that believe in open source coding. Computer programming has become a collective endeavor. Anyone trying to write a large program on his or her own would face a herculean task. That person would quite possibly go insane before reaching the end of the project. That’s why Windows hires so many people to write code for them.

When you use open source coding with free Linux software, though, you are strapped to a desk eight to ten hours a day. Nor, however, are you getting paid. Instead, you are collaborating others in an intellectual community that wants to improve technology for personal use.

It is almost like volunteering.

Of course, you don’t have to write code to enjoy Linux software. Programmers, however, tend to be the people spotting problems with most popular software, so they naturally want to fix the bad code that they find or customize the code to suit their specific needs.

Filed Under: Linux Community Tagged With: Apple, Linux, Microsoft, Microsoft Windows, Open source, Operating system, Ubuntu, Windows

What Is Open Source?

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Although the phrase “open source” is being used more and more in the computer and technological world, the idea of open source is not new. One very simple and direct example of open source (as it does not only apply to computers and technology) is recipe swapping.

Okay—let’s see if we can “man it up” a little bit. In the early years of automotive production, only a handful of people had access to the information that was needed to build a two-cycle engine. The information had been patented, and sharing this information freely was not an option. Henry Ford challenged the right of the original patent owner to withhold such information and won the challenge. That victory led to automobile manufacturers eventually sharing information that would lead to increased automobile production.

Today, however, the phrase “open source” is being used almost exclusively in the computer and technology areas. For this reason, the meaning has undergone an almost complete transformation: one that now primarily involves computer software. The best example of “open source” as it applies to computers and technology is the Linux operating system.

The Linux operating system does not “belong” to any one person or corporation. Rather, it is a cooperative and collaborative effort among many people. Because of this, you will now frequently see the words “open source” paired with “software” as a way of describing the Linux operating system and similar ones.

Open source software has a lot of advantages. For one thing, its availability and the fact that it is free (in most cases) can provide tremendous assistance to people who otherwise might not have access to important information that can help them in their business (for example, access to top affiliate programs). This gives them a better chance of succeeding in an increasingly competitive world, which can have far-reaching effects

Filed Under: Software Development Tagged With: Articles, Canonical Ltd, Directories, Henry Ford, Linux, Open source, Operating Systems, Simon Phipps

The Freeware Difference

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You are a master of the dollar – your every moment is dedicated to finding the best ways to spare your pennies and keep your savings secure. Technology, you are certain, is not meant to consume your profits (as it already consumes your attention). It is instead to be given freely, without the usual high costs and higher frustrations. And this, of course, has led you to seek out software that is without pricing, that is instead offered easily. You take it all, wanting to avoid the usual expense and instead create source codes that will do precisely what you need. But that, you soon discover, isn’t as simple as you thought it would be.

Because, although you chose freeware, you did not choose free and open software.

The difference between these ideas is often blurred. The names are almost identical and the meanings often overlap. But there are elements that distinguish them from each other and you must learn these to ensure that you make the proper choices.

Freeware: simply explained, freeware are programs that do not require your money. They can instead be downloaded without concern. They are not, however, always able to be changed. Their source codes can instead be heavily copyrighted. This allows them to be used but not modified or distributed.

Free and Open Software: unlike its freeware counterpart, this application can instead be altered. It is both free and unprotected; which ensures it can therefore be manipulated and then given to others. Its rules are vague and its limitations are almost non-existent.

This distinction is minimal, with many users commonly exchanging these terms, thinking them to be of the same purpose. They are not. While all free and open software can be considered freeware, all freeware cannot be considered both free and open. And this must be understood to guarantee that the selections you make are the ones you desire.

Filed Under: Software Development Tagged With: Directories, Freeware, Open source, PRWEB, Source code, Spyware, Uploading and downloading, Website

New Beginnings: The Linux Foundation

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It takes more in this world to succeed than a good product and a good reputation. Too often do lesser forces triumph over those who have proven themselves to be the better efficiencies, the easier rewards. Fairness is rarely common. It is instead forgotten in the wake of clever marketing and familiar brands. And the Linux company has suffered from that – while it is known to be a user-friendly option (with its open source philosophies and free components), it too often overlooked in the wake of Microsoft and Macintosh. It is the ignored sibling, trying to scramble after those who have taken all of the glory.

This is not to be tolerated.

And so the Linux Foundation was formed, with a purpose of redefining public perception and helping to generate awareness; as well as to ensure the foundations of the program are maintained and kept available for all individuals.

The Linux Foundation was began in 2007 when two vocal (but unknown to the casual user) supporters merged: the Open Source Development Labs and the Free Standards Group. These organizations joined to make sure that the ideologies of Linux – such as open sources and mass distribution – would be upheld. They each sought to promote and protect the program, addressing such issues as: trademarks, legalities and providing forums for users to offer advice and concerns.

And those concerns have been answered with the Linux Foundation developing new projects and components. Through it the software has become better defined within the public and has grown in recognition to almost five percent of the desktop accumulation (an impressive number when compared to the household awareness of its competition). The Foundation has helped to foster new interest and intends to continue doing so.

Linux is not the most popular of brands. It is, however, one of the most eagerly supported. And the Foundation will prove this again and again.

Filed Under: Linux Community Tagged With: Free Standards Group, Linux, Linux Foundation, Macintosh, Microsoft, Open source, Open Source Development Labs, Operating system

The Uses of Linux

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No software – however worthy, however innovative – can survive in a singular form. There must be more to it than clever codes; there must instead be the application of those codes to all parts of the world. Technology must be offered in every possible way, with the modern user demanding to find it in more than his home. It must go where he goes and it must provide everything he needs. There are, after all, questions to be answered and riddles to be solved. And this would be impossible if software couldn’t be used in more than one realm.

Linux was once thought to be such a realm: singular, incompatible, without value. There seemed to be no way to let the open source program filter into more than its established setting. There seemed instead to be just an imminent failure.

That failure didn’t occur.

Because Linux is now a multi-functional tool, able to be used in all the necessary ways:

1. Desktop. The most prominent (and popular) user form of the Linux kernel is found in its desktop form. The free software has proven effective, allowing individuals to create a home experience that they truly want. Applications from other companies – such as Microsoft and Macintosh – can be used as well, ensuring that no advantage is lost.

2. Embedded Linux. Entering the world of the smart-phone is never easy; but Linux has managed to claim almost 17 percent of the market with its programming. Users can tailor their devices to what they need, allowing all tasks to be completed.

3. Servers. Mainframes require immense power and immense potential. Linux provides that. Over 90 percent of the world’s largest (and most impressive) supercomputers are operated on this software.

It was once believed to be incompetent. Now, however, Linux has become a strong presence without the virtual world – with its popularity growing each year.

Filed Under: Linux Community Tagged With: Articles, Linux, Macintosh, Microsoft, Microsoft Windows, Open source, Operating system, Unix

Public Domain: Software Uses

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It’s a common confusion, a misunderstanding of copyrights and their longevity: software is offered to the world, claimed to be an open source; but you worry still over the possible legalities, the extent of distribution. Can a program truly be traded? Will it be scrutinized by its original manufacturers, deemed stolen? The questions loom, leaving you searching for answers, constantly scouring the forums for facts. They’re often difficult to find – definitions vary and applications are unsure. The notion of “free” is given easily but it’s burdened still by indecision: worthwhile or inferior, secure or dangerous? And you discover no relief in deciding what can be used and what can’t.

The truth, however, is simple: if a piece of software has slipped into public domain, it can then be claimed by you for any purpose.

Public Domain is the intellectual emptiness after conception and copyright. Works found within it can be chosen by any user and modified again and again, without any concern of retribution. They are free but their purpose is not limited to that (there are, after all, countless free softwares to try that are still protected). This notion instead allows for any program to be taken by an individual and altered completely, only to be redistributed later as a separate product.

Public Domain software ensures that the user is kept from any legal woes or guilt. There can be no criminal charges or fines. This is an application without creator (or at least one that chose to let his copyright slip). It is therefore the property of any who wish to take it.

And this becomes the only true guarantee with free software. There are no penalties or confusions; there are no debates over ownership. There is instead the ability to take a source code and manipulate it as you desire. The Public Domain is without question or refute. Use it.

Filed Under: Software Systems Tagged With: Articles, Copyright, Creative Commons, Intellectual property, Law, Legal Information, Open source, Public domain

Linux Began: Miniux

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All great ideas are began after witnessing good ones. This distinction seems meager but it is clearly proven in the consequences: the brilliant must be inspired by the necessary, and through this can innovation come. This is offered in the evolution of Linux and its open software. This brand was not merely formed, shaped from impulse and potential. It was instead given definition when faced with a concept that worked… but not in the all the wanted ways.

Linux was formed in 1991 by Finnish programmer Linus Torvalds. While attending the University of Helsinki, Torvalds was introduced to the Miniux – an inventive software that could replicate the processes of the original Unix device but was available instead for education. The Miniux was an open software platform that enabled teachers and students to better understand their research. Its purpose was to explain the methods of its creator, Andrew S. Tanenbaum, in a standard C language.

Torvalds was impressed by this program. Its potential was staggering and its methods were unique. But it was still limited to the university and its students. It could not be traded freely or distributed between users. And it was this that began the exploration of computers and their possibilities – which in turn would lead to the creation of Linux.

Through the invention of Miniux (which was a deviation of other programs and the knowledge of the time), Torvalds was able to channel the abilities of free software and open source codes into an accessible force. The results were immediate and well championed – except by Tanenbaum, who considered the Linux system to be an inferior copy of his process due to its monolithic kernel; rather than the Miniux’s micro one.

This controversy between the two creators did not deter users from discovering Linux, however. Instead the program became a rival for already established brands and was implemented in a wide variety of devices. Without the Miniux, though, Linux would have never been formed. The two are linked in importance and history.

Filed Under: Linux Community Tagged With: Andrew S. Tanenbaum, Articles, Linus Torvalds, Linux, Open source, Operating system, University of Helsinki, Unix

Free Software: The Critique

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In a long history of brilliant technological ideas (some of which you like to think were yours), there is one that perhaps shames them all, a concept so unique that it can never be replicated or refined: free software. Proving that manufacturers could no longer dictate what was needed, these programs were offered as alternatives to the common assumptions. They did not require dollars. They did not force limitations. They instead allowed individuals to find a source code and open it wide, playing with the language until it offered something entirely new. And from this innovation spawned an ease and convenience that cannot be denied.

It can, however, be disputed.

Free software has attracted much acclaim since its invention in 1983 (where a movement was formed to promote its usage over the more standard pay-ware). But that acclaim has been followed by several criticisms – none more prominent than the accusations of these programs claiming too much of the needed revenue from companies.

It is an easy fear to understand: with the introduction of free software, users no longer had to rely on manufacturers to provide them with what they needed (or often what they didn’t need but were forced to take). They could instead develop their applications as they chose, no longer having to wait for their desires to be met. They didn’t have to pay. They didn’t have to hesitate.

And companies were quick to protest. Beyond the obvious copyright concerns, free software has been estimated to have claimed over 50 billion dollars a year from traditional programs since it began. Such a loss has all major brands naming these methods without merit. They are considered little more than thefts.

This is not, however, true. Free software is designed to be distributed and revised. It is not ignoring the rules; it is merely changing them. And companies will have to understand this and find ways to compete.

Filed Under: Software Systems Tagged With: Advocacy, Articles, Copyright, Directories, Open source, Programming, Proprietary software, Source code

The Difference Understood: Free Software and Open Source

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It is the easiest of assumptions: a source code is challenged, believed to be without the common restrictions. It can instead be manipulated, made into something far greater than its makers intended. It can be mastered, understood line by line, until it offers all of its many possibilities; each destined to be shared with the world. You will create new programs and all will marvel at your cleverness. But, as you try to distribute your inventions, you find that you… can’t. Your free software has failed.

This is possibly because it was never a free software to begin with. It may have instead been an open source.

A confusion shared by many burgeoning software creators is the difference between free programs and their open source companions. Many think these ideas to be the same, separated only by their names. This is not true. There is instead a distinct (however delicate) difference between them that must be understood. And such understanding will prove vital in your quest to provide the Internet with its greatest offerings.

Free Software: encompassing a wide variety of programs, free software is distinguished by a flexible copyright. These are programs that can be shared between several users without warnings from their makers. They lack the usual licensing worries and can be distributed without fear of penalty. Their title does often refer to their minimal costs as well.

Open Source Code: while found within the free software realm, the open source is given more restrictions. While its language can be shifted, it must only be sent into the world if it maintains it original licensing. It is never to be offered as new product and must give credit to its foundations. Distribution permission must be clearly marked within the copyright.

Understanding the difference between these choices is essential for any would be programmer. An open source may be free but any free software may not be an open source. Know this before attempting any changes.

Filed Under: Software Systems Tagged With: Advocacy, Articles, Directories, Google, Language, Open source, Programming, Source code

Defining Open Source: Software Explained

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The online world is defined to possibility. There are no boundaries that can’t be crossed (and shattered). There are no concerns that can’t be broken, pieced back together into a new sensibility. Limitations do not–and should not–exist. But too many are still assumed within software and its source codes. Individuals without the expected experiences believe these codes to be stagnant, unable to be recreated or perfected. They’re certain that each line of indecipherable language must remain as it was intended: without change or improvement.

This is not true.

Source codes can instead be shaped into endless options, as long as they are deemed open and able.

During the 1990′s a philosophy of free software emerged. Those who devoted their time to the virtual playgrounds demanded more than company standards and forced restrictions. They wished instead to explore, to understand how every program could be developed beyond its original intent – and from this came the notion of the open source.

Simply explained: this movement allowed individuals to take established codes and reinvent them, making the necessary modifications and improvements (as well as also learning the ways of computers. The process became a valuable aid to those not yet familiar with syntax). Through this new programs could then be passed among users, in a constant state of transition and rebirth.

This became the open source. Those softwares were without the usual copyrights or license woes. They were instead formed for the distinct purpose of change. And all users were able to access the true potential found in each. This allowed for a wealth of new designs within the Internet and radically changed the previous notions.

There are, of course, criticisms of the open source. Many believe it to disregard established copyrights or to encourage a lack of money exchange. Programs, detractors argue, no longer must be purchased by the many. They can instead be taken by the few and then sent into the Internet for free downloads.

This has not subdued the popularity of the open source, however, and the movement is still an undeniable part of the online world.

Filed Under: Software Development Tagged With: Advocacy, Articles, Copyright, Directories, Language, Open source, Programming, Source code