Make It Classic

Smoking Linux, one of the top Linux blogs on the internet came out with a post earlier today about the paradox of selling free software:

“Selling” and “Free” are two words that may create some confusion when used together. How on earth can something be free when it is being sold? Selling a copy of a free program is legitimate in every aspect. The distinction is drawn when software developers do it in a way similar to that being done with proprietary software.

Open source and free software are terms associated with Linux. Open source is often taken to be more or less in the same category as free software. In truth, they are not exactly the same class of software since open source can accept licenses that may be considered too restrictive by free software while there are also free software licenses that are not acceptable to open source.

The distinction can be very hard to see since nearly all free software is open source and vice versa. However, the term “free software” also refers to freedom in use which “open source” cannot claim to offer.

Linux and Windows are often compared with one another, being both computer operating systems. Apparently this cannot be helped since Windows is the most prominent operating system released under a proprietary software license while Linux is its equivalent in prominence under a free software license. They have found themselves competing for user-base in the personal computer market as well as the server market.

Each has its own philosophy and differs in cost, ease of use, versatility, stability and their perceived weak areas. Windows tend to dominate the desktop and personal computer markets while Linux captures a large share of the web server, render farm and supercomputer markets. Their differences may probably be the reason why both continue to exist in spite of the other.

The ease of installation varies greatly by distribution. Typical distributions use simple live CDs or GUI installers with some offering a menu-driven installer. Others target more specialized groups and require source to be copied and compiled. The Linux system can also be built completely from scratch or from source codes.

Installation time may range from 6 minutes to more than an hour. Most free drivers are included in distributions or can be found in online archives. Devices that do not have free drivers available due to licensing issues can get hold of proprietary drivers which are available from manufacturers or special archives. It was previously difficult for the average user to install Linux distributions but the problem has been simplified by a system that allows users to boot fully functional Linux systems directly from a CD or DVD which can also be installed on the hard drive.

Standing side by side with the developer of Linux, are the different user communities who have recognized the relevance of the system. While some vendors develop and fund their distributions on a voluntary basis, others choose to maintain a community version of their commercial distributions.

Local associations in many cities and regions seek to promote Linux and free software in general. Meetings are held to provide free demonstrations, training, technical support and installation of operating system to first-time users. Various Internet communities have taken the cue and provide support to Linux users and developers. Efforts to propagate the use of the Linux system include online forums, hosting of mailing lists and technology websites that focuses on Linux.

There are various equally popular contemporary operating systems existing today but Linux manages to come out a cut above the rest. Although the Linux kernel and its related components are not the only free and open-source software, it is the best known and the most widely used. This is because it aims for interoperability with other operating systems and established computing standards. It does not rely on monopoly advantage but rather competes as an underdog with mainstream operating systems.

A project that manages a remote collection of Linux-based software and facilitates installation of a Linux operating system is called Linux distribution. It can be maintained by individuals, teams, organizations or commercial entities and is offered in the form of packages which are aimed to be integrated into a coherent whole.

Linux is more known for its use in servers and is used as an operating system for a wide variety of computer hardware. This would include desktop computers, super computers, video game systems, arcade games and embedded devices such as mobile phones. Notable corporations such as Dell, Hewlett-Packard, IBM and many others support Linux.

Linux has managed to secure a place in server installations courtesy of its popular LAMP application stack. Linus Torvalds continue to direct the development of the Linux kernel while Richard Stallman who is the head of the Free Software Foundation, supports the GNU components. Individuals and corporations are able to develop third-party non-GNU components which comprise a vast body of work which may include kernel modules, user applications and libraries.

Linux is a prominent example of free software and open source development where all underlying source code can typically be freely modified, used and redistributed by practically anyone. The Linux kernel was first released to the public on September of 1991 specifically for the Intel x86 PC architecture. Its operating system however, is UNIX-like, which was a system that was originally conceived and implemented during the 60s.

Linus Torvalds decided to work on a non-commercial replacement for MINIX whose modification and redistribution were restricted. The product of such effort was the Linux kernel. It was augmented with system utilities and libraries from the GNU project. Developers of Linux and GNU worked for integration of GNU components with Linux to come up with a fully functional and free operating system.