In itself the title of «What is GNU / Linux and free software?»Is quite Ambiguous? I do not know, it is assumed that today, within any university in which the career of computer engineering or systems is taught this concept should be handled, but ... Do you really know what it is? GNU / Linux and the FOSS? Or do you just think it's a free system where you can't use Microsoft Office, play and what is it for people who know? Bearing in mind that they, as students of these careers, are (or should be) the ones who know; and I say it from my own experience.
So, yesWhat is GNU / Linux? to get started.
Basically it is the union of a Kernel and an operating system (programs) that work together to provide functionality; which does not differentiate it from any other operating system.
What makes it different from other operating systems is that it is free, it is subject to the four basic freedoms of software, which become the definition of free software:
0: freedom to use the program for any purpose.
1: freedom to study the program code and modify it to suit your needs.
2: freedom to redistribute the program.
3: Freedom to improve the program and make improvements public so that everyone benefits.
This is what makes GNU / Linux, the freedom to do whatever we want with it. But freedom itself is not only those four basic freedoms mentioned, although they are all related to these basic principles, what makes this ecosystem beautiful is that thanks to this freedom, there is a huge community, and that thanks to this huge community creates the need to grow, that the need to grow creates the impulse to learn, that what is learned bears fruit and that the fruits are taken by everyone because they belong to everyone.
This may sound like a utopia or communism, but nothing is further from the truth than that. In fact, the freedom we possess generates very great responsibilities and can create obstacles, one of them is the one that many brandish as an argument; «too much freedom turns to debauchery then anarchism«. And it is true, anarchism in GNU / Linux It can be represented as disorder, since in theory, because it is a system that tries to go against the already established systems, it is anarchism ... but leaving behind the contradictions, the disorder becomes detrimental to many projects since anything can happen if not If you have a minimum of order and support, everything can end up leading to things such as the end of a project or its malfunction.
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What are the advantages of Free Software?
Question that they ask me very often, the advantages of using free software, or even more punctual, GNU / Linux. Apart from the freedom that it gives you, you also have quite interesting technical advantages, such as «there are no viruses for linux»It is certainly an advantage, although it is not necessarily real. Viruses as such do not exist in Linux since we have certain fairly strong security mechanisms that prevent this type of software from running without us knowing it first, but that is a much deeper issue that does not come to the point, what if it comes to sneak is that, although the computer viruses as such in GNU / Linux, if there is danger since there is no perfect and impenetrable software, in fact today the most fragile gap in a computer with GNU / Linux and any system could be the browser, but to summarize, Linux it is much safer and not necessarily because it is less used.
Another advantage is the variety and the possibility to choose from a fairly wide catalog of software, since there really is a lot to choose from, from office programs to programs that help you organize your time, synchronize your calendars, keep notes, Tasks, checking mail, a huge catalog to choose from.
In fact, the biggest advantage of GNU / Linux from my point of view is the choice. Certainly not all systems GNU / Linux They are 100% free software since they include proprietary software for the operation of certain devices, the point is that if you want to use a totally free system you can have it and if not, you don't, anyway when choosing a GNU / Linux system with proprietary drivers you are not necessarily ceasing to be free.
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Another important point that often creates confusion ... Free and Open Source Software (Open Source).
Flat and with everything, they are not the same.
El FOSS defends the freedom of the user and the software to be used, modified, redistributed and improved, all non-profit because the four freedoms do not allow you to sell your code ...
Furthermore, the Open Source It is a totally different movement, but one that mixes; is rare and can be defined as a «together but not mixed«. He open source in fact, it is not necessarily governed by the four basic freedoms, it is simply open source, visible, which allows it to be studied, but not modified, copied or redistributed. In fact, it may be a program for sale that when you buy it, you also acquire access to the code, but it remains the property of another.
So he open source it is bad?
Definitely not, many programs that are open source They are free and with native versions for LinuxIt is simply a more commercial approach other than free software, which is not that it is not profitable, but that it is not based on the same concepts.
A perfect illustrative example could be that of a program that keeps company accounts.
The low program FOSS: it allows you as the owner of the company to obtain the program for free and have full access to it, but you need someone to create it and for that you pay developers, who make the program on demand. Then you want to extend it because it fell short, you call those developers back, who take the work already done and expand it. And if in that case you can't get back to those developers, for whatever reason, any other developer can pick up the job.
The program under the philosophy open source: as the owner, it allows you to make sure that the code is clean of tricks and tricks, that you are not spied on and that no one is kidding you. As a developer, it allows you to be the owner of the code and to sell it to more people, although that implies that not everyone can modify that code, which ensures future work or, you can say yourself that you can also modify the code but not redistribute it. ; the concept of freedom is a bit more twisted, but without a doubt it is more than many allow.
Of course there are other implications such as, for example, they play you dirty and do not show you all the code and everything that may happen related to this, but that is already more ethical than anything else.
It's free, it's free!
DO NOT! perhaps the mistake of any newbie (including myself) is (or was) to believe that free means free. Neither I nor anyone who is already in this world tires of saying that free and free are not necessarily the same; It is one thing for something to be free and therefore free, to be free but not necessarily free. Example? Google… It's free and free to use. But is it FOSS? never, since although you do not pay money to use their technologies, you pay with your personal information and you do not have any of the basic freedoms of the software.
In fact, there are free software programs that are sold for a price and then let you do whatever you want with it, there are very successful free software business models such as Red Hat's and a lot of market to discover and develop in In this world, perhaps the most incredible thing about free software and GNU / Linux (or BSD too) is that the only limit is the one we impose on ourselves.
And this, gentlemen, is the first part of what I want my presentation to be, now comes your part ... Is it missing? Do you have any left over? What do you think?