Free Software Versus Open Source Software
The terms "Free Software" and "Open Source Software" are often used interchangeably, and even abbreviated together as F/OSS (for "Free/Open Source Software"). Are there any differences between the two? If so, what are those differences? If not, why do the two different names exist? David Chisnall examines this paradox.
The Birth of Free Software
In the early 1980s, Richard M. Stallman (RMS) was working at MIT’s artificial intelligence lab. The lab had just bought a new printer from Xerox, and had a few problems with it. With the old printer, they would have been able to fix the driver code themselves, but the new printer didn’t come with source code.
This situation led RMS to found the Free Software Foundation (FSF), an organization dedicated to producing software that granted users four basic freedoms:
0. The freedom to run the program, for any purpose.
1. The freedom to study how the program works, and adapt it to your needs.
2. The freedom to redistribute copies so you can help your neighbor.
3. The freedom to improve the program, and release your improvements to the public, so that the whole community benefits.
Let’s examine the Four Freedoms in a bit more detail:
- Login or register to post comments
- Printer-friendly version
- 1049 reads
- PDF version
More in Tux Machines
- Highlights
- Front Page
- Latest Headlines
- Archive
- Recent comments
- All-Time Popular Stories
- Hot Topics
- New Members
digiKam 7.7.0 is releasedAfter three months of active maintenance and another bug triage, the digiKam team is proud to present version 7.7.0 of its open source digital photo manager. See below the list of most important features coming with this release. |
Dilution and Misuse of the "Linux" Brand
|
Samsung, Red Hat to Work on Linux Drivers for Future TechThe metaverse is expected to uproot system design as we know it, and Samsung is one of many hardware vendors re-imagining data center infrastructure in preparation for a parallel 3D world. Samsung is working on new memory technologies that provide faster bandwidth inside hardware for data to travel between CPUs, storage and other computing resources. The company also announced it was partnering with Red Hat to ensure these technologies have Linux compatibility. |
today's howtos
|
Recent comments
1 year 11 weeks ago
1 year 11 weeks ago
1 year 11 weeks ago
1 year 11 weeks ago
1 year 11 weeks ago
1 year 11 weeks ago
1 year 11 weeks ago
1 year 11 weeks ago
1 year 11 weeks ago
1 year 11 weeks ago