Some of you have probably heard of FOSS at one point or another. It is wonderful for sure! However, everytime I talk about it, someone asks me "What is that?"
Free Open-Source Software has been written by brilliant developers who work on grant money from Yahoo, Sun, and other major companies. I launch into my schpeal and then I hear "But Chad! Internet Explorer is free isn't it??!?" Yes, IE is free, but it is not open source. There is a difference.
Free is simply that; it doesn't cost anything. Open-source is a bit different. Most software in use is closed-source. This refers to whether or not the developer (as a company) has publicly released the code. Some great examples of open-source exist on sourceforge.net.
An example of closed-source software would be pretty much all (all if I remember right) of the software put out by Microsoft. Windows, Office, Publisher, and even their databse engines are closed source. Visual Basic, the tool that MS built to develop applications in their own language, is closed source if I remember correctly.
Most of the time, the term "open-source" doesn't mean anything to the general public. But it will if you want to customize your environment. Any Firefox users out there? How about linux users?
Linux is a (you guessed it) FREE operating system. Windows is also an operating system. How can it be free? There was a brilliant man, some years back, who worked hard on what is now the kernel for his operating system. The name of the OS slips me at the moment. But he has worked on it for 20+ years on it, renewing it over time. That man was named Linus Torvalds. He gave it away. He still does.
Under the GPL (general public license), anyone can take Linux and build their own version. There are lots and LOTS of versions. But! If you change something, you cannot charge for it. You have to GIVE it away. This is why it will always be free. Some companies have developed their own applications (most of them server apps) that they can and do charge for. Companies like Red Hat and Novell have very solid server systems.
I have my favorite and I would encourage you to try it out. Ubuntu is popular, as is Fedora. If you are new to linux, these two distros (distrobutions) are the kind of user friendly that you need.
Of course if you have questions, don't call! LOL j/k PLEASE email me! I can't answer everything, but I know people!
Merry Christmas/Hannuka/Qwanza/holidays!
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