December 14th, 2005
It’s like freedom, baby, down with capitalism–yeah!
Ergh, I wonder how long I can flog those jokes…
There’s nothing extra special about the software, it’s really all about how it’s made. Linux itself is just a kernel; something that provides a base for other programs to access hardware.
The Linux kernel was made by Linus Torvalds while he was a student at the University of Helsinki. At around the same time Richard Stallman’s GNU project was in need of a kernel as their Hurd project wasn’t yet suitable. Linux was found to be the perfect substitute.
Stallman saw proprietary software as unethical, and a betrayal of his scientific principles of sharing and discovery. He created a viral legal contract that basically allows programmers who choose to release their source code (the instructions that make up a program) to make sure it will always be available to the user (the code is now known as “open source”). For instance, a company couldn’t steal the code and use it in their own projects and not release the source code along with it. Have a read on the GNU Manifesto for reasons why this is a good thing.
Linux is a blanket word for all the open source programs, a great many created by GNU, running on the Linux kernel. Together they make up a usable operating system. They aim to provide a free, as in freedom, alternative to other operating systems such as Windows.
I’m not entirely against proprietary software, but I can’t accept the proliferation of Windows. The human race is resiliant because everyone has a different make-up, so if a virus comes along, the chances are we won’t all get wiped out as no doubt someone has immunity. Take that example and apply it to Windows, it unsettles me a great deal to think that the world’s computer users are at the mercy of a single American company. I’m not saying they’ll intentionally do things to disrupt, but basically what they say goes. Maybe I’m just paranoid, but you should consider that you don’t really own that piece of software running on your computer, you’ve just bought the license to use it.
Microsoft are branching out into other things, like video games consoles that double up as media centres. People will think it’s lovely and convenient to have all your media available and moving freely within Microsoft systems, but it just makes me worried. Information and knowledge is power and you don’t want to risk loosing personal freedom when using information. The RIAA must be leaning on Microsoft a fair bit, it wouldn’t be in Microsoft’s interests as a business to alienate them, so they could easily make it so you can’t copy and play your own music CDs on any computer you want for personal use. They could put the code that enforces this into the Windows Update system, and hey, if you don’t agree with that then they could make it so that you can’t update your system at all.
Paranoid ramblings? Digital rights management gone wrong.
I have a dual boot system, but nowadays my usage ratio of Windows to Linux is around 1:4. That’s why things like this piss me off. I know how difficult it is to break out of the Windows mindset, so am always sympathetic to new Linux users. Microsoft are capitalising on the fact that people are so entrenched in the Windows mind-set by making it a downfall of Linux.
December 14th, 2005 at 9:51 pm
One other reason that makes linux special is a guy (Monky) like this: http://blog.mustap.com/2005_12_14_a-techno-remix-of-steve-ballmers-speeches
December 15th, 2005 at 5:19 am
Nothing is all that special about Linux. Linux for me represents the kernel, which this guy by the name of Linus Torvald began. What it closely ties into though for me is GNU/Linux, with a huge emphasis on GNU. The philosophies and ideals of the open source community are for me a way of life. Interestingly, if you compare them with the ideals that Jesus and various other religious figures have tried to convey, the ideals behind open source are very ethical and would definitely relate to many of the religious. Share, build upon each other’s work, advance technology, knowledge, understanding and so forth. Best example, look at Wikipedia. If one were to scroll to the bottom of each page they would find a license notice that would read something along the lines of:
“… is licensed under the GNU FDL - Free Documentation License.”
December 15th, 2005 at 7:35 pm
lol @ that Mustapha. The original video must be funny enough, ergh, check out that sweat line.
December 15th, 2005 at 11:56 pm
I feel special as to have you post a post on my question. Thanks for answering all of my non-computer-knowledgable questions!