February 7, 2012

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The Linux Rule: Copyleft

Tux, the Linux penguin
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Technology is to improve lives, to relieve the burden that comes from obligations and daily concerns. It is meant to inspire progress and invention, helping to ease the exchange of ideas and their possibilities. Linux is a company founded on such principles. Since its conception it has offered a revolutionary approach to software and its potential: it is to be traded, passed between users; with its codes changed and its purposes shaped to the unexpected. These programs (defiers of the common licenses) allow individuals to experiment with applications. And this has provided a new movement within the Internet.

And such a movement is made possible by Linux’s reliance on the Copyleft rule.

Defined simply: the Copyleft rule is a way to ensure ideas can be exchanged freely between users without incurring the wrath of companies. When a program is modified under this process it is allowed to be sent into the virtual world, able to be downloaded by others (and then shaped into what they desire). But, unlike the usual copyrights that demand all software be purchased and no source changes be made, these Linux choices ensure that the programs are free – and remain so. While individual applications may have their own requirements, Copyleft guarantees that they can still be used by all.

And it is this guarantee that brands Linux an innovation. The majority of companies refuse to entertain this concept, believing it to be unworthy. Their concerns are profits and the monopoly of all users’ attentions. Their source codes are carefully protected and kept from the Internet. Any changes will result in severe penalties… or worse.

Linux, however, was formed on the need for reinvention; and its use of these free softwares has led it to become a popular alternative to the more famed (and more rigid) manufacturers. Its Copyleft mentality is proof of its want for progress and it seeks only to ensure that ideas are never stifled. Software is to be the ally of all, not a restriction.

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What is a Computer?

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Simply stated, a computer is anything that receives input then provides some type of output in a useful format. With this broad of a definition, mechanical computer examples have existed since the man first began recording his history. The first computers that were powered by electricity were developed around the 1940 to 1945 time span.

They were gigantic (the size of a large room) compared to what we know today. In fact, they consumed as much power as hundreds of current personal computers.

Modern computers run with integrated circuits. Integrated circuits are electronic circuits manufactured into a semiconductor like silicon. Especially as they have gotten smaller, they have revolutionized all of the electronic equipment used in the world today.

The circuits execute the computer’s instructions. The instructions are called a computer program. A computer program is a series of instructions written in source code (or a programming language) developed to perform a computer task. The tasks are executed from a central processor in the computer.

Source code is a gathering of statements written in a human-readable computer programming language. The source code is held in text files and stored in databases. The result is a collection of files that are necessary to convert the code from human-readable to a designated type of computer-executable form.

In the past, computer programs were manually input into the central processor using switches, paper tape or punched cards. After being loaded, the starting address was set and the execute button was pressed to begin processing.

In current situations, the computer programs are embedded right into the hardware. To begin working, primary computer programs stored in read-only memory need to boot-up. When your computer is booting, it is identifying and initializing all facets of the computer system including memory, controllers and CPU registers.

After that, the operating system is loaded and the computer starts its normal operations.

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Technology and the Human Connection

Photograph taken from Leonard Kleinrock and th...
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The Internet has certainly changed the way we distribute and access information. With all of the world’s greatest libraries, periodicals, museums and other sources of information available online, it’s hard to imagine a world where information isn’t just a click away. And while the way we transmit and receive information has changed in the last two decades, thanks to the Internet, perhaps what is equally significant is the way we interact socially.

Like all technology, the Internet has evolved over the years, and while its primary function remains as a means of finding information, the prevalence of online social networking, how it’s changed our society and the way we communicate has left an indelible imprint on who we are and the role the Internet has played in our lives.

Thanks to the Internet, we are now able to interact virtually with people from all over the globe. We can chat socially via instant message, send e-mails and make posts on blogs and websites. We can share photographs, videos and sound clips and truly open our lives up to the virtual world in ways that would have never been possible. Wherever you are, whatever your time zone, you can always reach out to a new friend online, or reconnect with an old friend.

Since the early 2000’s we have enjoyed all of the benefits of establishing online relationships and sharing our lives via social networking sites. Similar to getting information, adding a new friend to your roster is as simple as clicking a mouse. From there you can learn through words and pictures about the person’s family, their educational background, their hobbies, where they’ve been on vacation and so much more. Beyond establishing friendships, there are sites devoted to meeting significant others in order to spark romantic relationships and sites devoted to linking professionals to one another for purposes of business networking.

We can meet informally or formally online, conduct Web conferences and even draw up major business deals without ever leaving our computers. And as technology continues to evolve, it’s likely that the Internet will adapt to support future communication needs.

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