Richard
Stallman
Hobart John
Richard
Stallman
Richard Stallman was the founder of The Free Software Foundation (FSF) a photo of him which is seen on the right. I thank RMS for allowing me to use his image.
The FSF and OSS (Open Source Software) communities are very similar with much the same out comes but with differences in what one could call, “ideology”.
I have read much about both FSF and OSS and the way I see them as being of benefit to the computer IT world.
I hope to give people some simple easy to understand details about FSF. The usual software that people now use is now termed Proprietary Software (PS) which is what most people use whether it is the Operating System (OS), applications and utilities. The masses have been brainwashed into thinking that PS is the only reliable software but it is not. PS is written by people who are under the control of businesses through contracts and so on. That is fair enough. The software is usually kept in a “secret/private” form whereas OSS is written by writers who allow other writers to modify/alter the code which is in “non secret” form, it is “open” to anyone. There are special rules that govern the OSS world which I shall not go into here. OSS is usually free, no cost, but if supplied with some form of instruction or operating manual in any form, CD, paper such as in a boxed form then there may be a charge or cost. A bit like a loaf of bread being free but the wrapping is charged for so the end result is some money is exchanged.
One of the main advantages of OSS is that one does not generally have to register it or pay for it. One can copy it and give it to someone else to use. No one need pay or register it. It does not belong to any one person or company. We all know the companies that I am eluding to here. Big companies that get richer while the humble person becomes poorer. OSS is now spreading all over the world, in particular third world countries who can't afford the cost of PS especially with the cost of updates and upgrades.
The
Open
Source Initiative is a
good place to read about OSS. Of course there are other types of
software, Shareware, Freeware, Public Domain, Liteware and others
which is certainly in many cases very good software but OSS is the
only real Open Source Software. Big companies now involved with OSS
are; IBM, Intel, Sun, SAP, HP, Silicon Graphics.
As I said before Governments and Institutions around the world are
now either looking at using OSS or are already using it. Our
Australian Government is dragging its feet which understandable with
its big business alliance. Some politicians are trying to have their
voices heard regarding the use of OSS but in the
mean time we taxpayers are being ripped off with the continual use of
big business PS ( Proprietary Software ).
OSS software has been used in the Internet system for years, it's what the Internet is developed around, software that was written by some clever people, written for for free, no charge, these people just wanted to make it so the ordinary person could use the Internet. Such software being; TCP/IP, HTML, Apache, Sendmail, Bind, Perl and others. BIND is the software that provides the Domain Name Service (DNS) for the entire Internet. OSS not PS by Adobe, Micro$oft, Novell and others.
So, it's up to us, the ordinary computer user to make people aware of OSS, it's free, it is good, it's excellent.
Some OSS I use.
OpenOffice.org (OOo) is an office suite rivalling Micro$oft Office. I do desktop publishing, spreadsheet, building these Web pages, and Export to PDF with OOo.
The GIMP (GNU Imaging Manipulation Programme) to scan, edit images for my Web site and photos for viewing.
Galeon
my main Web browser.
Mozilla my secondary Web browser.
Evolution my E-mail application.
I will add more to this FSF/OSS page from time to time. There are many Web sites with official and more technical information on the Web for people who need it.
This is my E-mail address which is not clickable for technical reasons!
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