Linux vs Microsoft
Fedora
Saturday 6 August 2011
ADVANTAGE OF THE OPEN SOURCE SYSTEM
The availability of the source code and the right to modify.
it is very important. It enables the unlimited tuning and improvement of a software product. It also makes it possible to port the code to new hardware, to adapt it to changing conditions, and to reach a detailed understanding of how the system works. This is why many experts are reaching the conclusion that to really extend the lifetime of an application, it must be available in source form. In fact, no binary-only application more than 10 years old now survives in unmodified form, while several open source software systems from the 1980s are still in widespread use (although in many cases conveniently adapted to new environments). Source code availability also makes it much easier to isolate bugs, and (for a programmer) to fix them.
The right to redistribute modifications and improvements to the code.
reuse other open source code, permits all the advantages due to the modifiability of the software to be shared by large communities. This is usually the point that differentiates open source software licences from ``nearly free'' ones. In substance, the fact that redistribution rights cannot be revoked, and that they are universal, is what attracts a substantial crowd of developers to work around open source software projects.
The right to use the software in any way.
This, combined with redistribution rights, ensures (if the software is useful enough), a large population of users, which helps in turn to build up a market for support and customization of the software, which can only attract more and more developers to work in the project. This in turn helps to improve the quality of the product, and to improve its functionality. Which, once more, will cause more and more users to give the product a try, and probably to use it regularly.
There is no one with the power to restrict in a unilateral way how the software is used.
even in a retroactive way. Such a power manifests, for instance, when a proprietary software vendor decides not to upgrade some software product for some old platform. In this case, customers can only stick to the old version of the software, or switch to another product. If open source software is used, customers can also fund some development for the desired platform, or look for other vendors to provide the upgrades (of the very same product).
There is no single entity on which the future of the software depends.
This is a very common concern with proprietary software. Let us say that a company uses a software product, and relies on the software manufacturer for upgrades and continued development. If the software manufacturer closes doors, or decides to discontinue development of the product, no one has the right to take the program and continue development on it, effectively killing its usability in the market. This has happened many times, and this problem is amplified by the recent mergers in the software market, that usually lead to ``cannibalization'' of some software product to allow just one or two to get to the market. Open source software effectively protects against this, because if the group or company that originated the code decides to stop development, it is always possible to fund another software group to continue the maintenance and improvement, without legal nor practical limitations.
No ``black boxes'' are possible.
This point is so important that open source is now considered by many experts as one of the necessary conditions for dependable applications. There are several reasons for this importance. One of them is related to the dependability of the services provided by a given software. By having the source code available, it is possible to perform a thorough inspection and verify the correctness of the algorithm and the implementation scheme used. This is also possible in part even with closed source or nearly free licences.
There is always the possibility of ``forking''.
Or creating an alternative code base if the current one is in some way perceived as wrongly managed. This is sometimes considered a disadvantage, having to manage not only one code base, but two. A ``fork'' is a subdivision of the code base in two different parts, each managed by a different group. Forks happens for technical or licence reasons, for example because a particular release is made under a non-free licence, the previous one is used as a base for subsequent free releases.
No per-copy fees can be asked for modified versions.
And anyone can use the current code base to start new projects. Working knowledge can be gathered at a minimal cost. This is what made Internet software systems such an important factor in the new economy: students, and people trying new technologies were able to integrate and adopt them immediately, without the hurdles of commercial or non-disclosure licence agreements. In addition, the right to freely modify them allowed for the incredible expansion in the number of communication protocols and systems, each perfectly tailored to the needs of their users. This is also a reason for the overwhelming success of the Linux kernel, widely employed by students thanks to its near-zero cost, and subsequently used by the same students in the startups originated by them, when they turn into entrepreneurs after leaving University.
Friday 5 August 2011
FREE IN OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE
Open Source Software / Free Software (OSS/FS) (also abbreviated as FLOSS or FOSS) has risen to great prominence. Briefly, OSS/FS programs are programs whose licenses give users the freedom to run the program for any purpose, to study and modify the program, and to redistribute copies of either the original or modified program (without having to pay royalties to previous developers).
Free software, software libre or libre software is software that can be used, studied, and modified without restriction, and which can be copied and redistributed in modified or unmodified form either without restriction, or with restrictions that only ensure that further recipients can also do these things and that manufacturers of consumer-facing hardware allow user modifications to their hardware. Free software is generally available without charge, but can have a fee, such as in the form of charging for CDs or other distribution medium among other ways.
From 1998 onward, alternative terms for free software came into use. The most common are software libre, free and open source software (FOSS) and free, libre and open source software (FLOSS). The Software Freedom Law Center was founded in 2005 to protect and advance FLOSS. Commercial software may sometimes offer freedoms which are typical of free and open source software. Contrary to a popular misconception that software is either free or commercial they are unrelated traits. One example of free commercial software is GNAT.It has been developed and is available commercially (i.e., against payment), but is free software because of its non-proprietary nature, with the source code publicly available. On the other hand, free software and proprietary software are opposite traits, and an application can be one or the other but never both, contingent upon the availability of the source code under certain minimum freedoms.
Free software, which may or may not be distributed free of charge, is distinct from freeware which, by definition does not require payment for use. The authors or copyright holders of freeware may retain all rights to the software; it is not necessarily permissible to reverse engineer, modify, or redistribute freeware.
Since free software may be freely redistributed it is generally available at little or no cost. Free software business models are usually based on adding value such as applications, support, training, customization, integration, or certification. At the same time, some business models which work with proprietary software are not compatible with free software, such as those that depend on the user to pay for a license in order to lawfully use the software product.
The free software movement was conceived in 1983 by Richard Stallman to satisfy the need for and to give the benefit of software freedom to computer users.Stallman founded the Free Software Foundation in 1985 to provide the organizational structure to advance his Free Software ideas.
Thursday 4 August 2011
HISTORY OPEN SOURCE
~ In 1983, Richard Stallman launched
the GNU Project to write a complete operating system free from constraints on
use of its source code.
~ In 1989, the first version of the GNU
General Public License was published. A slightly updated version 2 was published in
1991.
~In 1989, some GNU developers formed the company Cygnus Solutions.
~The Linux Kernel, started by Linus
Torvalds, was released as freely modifiable source code in 1991.
~The BSD lawsuit was settled out of court in 1993,FreeBSD and
NetBSD (both derived from 386BSD).
~KDE was founded in 1996 by
Matthias Ettrich. At the time, he was troubled by the inconsistencies in UNIX applications.
~In 1997,Eric Raymond published The Cathedral and the Bazaar, a
reflective analysis of the hacker community and free software principles. The
paper received significant attention in early 1998 and was one factor in
motivating Netscape Communications Corporation to release their popular Netscape Communicator Internet suite as free software. This
code is today better known as Mozila Firefox and Thunderbird.
~In August 1999, Sun Microsystems released the StarOffice office suite as free software
under the GNU Lesser General Public License. The free software
version was renamed OpenOfffice.org and coexists with StarOffice.
linux Torvals
TYPE OF OPEN SOURCE SYSTEM
~Apache Web server http://compnetworking.about.com/cs/webservers/g/bldef_apache.htm
~Linux Operating System
Kernel http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linux_kernel
~Firefox Web Browser http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firefox
~Sun’s Java Programming
Languange and Environment http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Java_%28programming_language%29
~MySQL Database System http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MySQL
~FreeBSD Unix Operating System http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FreeBSD
~Sun’s OpenOffice,org Office Productity :- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenOffice.org
~Wireshark Network Packet Snifferand Protocol
Analyser :- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wireshark
VARIOUS OSS WEB RESOURCE
OPEN SOURCE
Open-source software (OSS) is computer software that is available in source code form: the source codecopyright holders are provided under a software license that permits users to study, change, improve and at times also to distribute the software. and certain other rights normally reserved for Open Source Definition. Some open source software is available within the public domain.
Open source software is very often developed in a public, collaborative manner. Open-source software is the most prominent example of open-source development and often compared to (technically defined) user-generated content or (legally defined) open content movements.
Introduction
Open source doesn't just mean access to the source code.
The distribution terms of open-source software must comply with the following criteria:
1. Free Redistribution
The license shall not restrict any party from selling or giving away the software as a component of an aggregate software distribution containing programs from several different sources. The license shall not require a royalty or other fee for such sale.
2. Source Code
The program must include source code, and must allow distribution in source code as well as compiled form. Where some form of a product is not distributed with source code, there must be a well-publicized means of obtaining the source code for no more than a reasonable reproduction cost preferably, downloading via the Internet without charge. The source code must be the preferred form in which a programmer would modify the program. Deliberately obfuscated source code is not allowed. Intermediate forms such as the output of a preprocessor or translator are not allowed.
3. Derived Works
The license must allow modifications and derived works, and must allow them to be distributed under the same terms as the license of the original software.
4. Integrity of the Author's Source Code
The license may restrict source-code from being distributed in modified form only if the license allows the distribution of "patch files" with the source code for the purpose of modifying the program at build time. The license must explicitly permit distribution of software built from modified source code. The license may require derived works to carry a different name or version number from the original software.
5. No Discrimination Against Persons or Groups
The license must not discriminate against any person or group of persons.
6. No Discrimination Against Fields of Endeavor.
The license must not restrict anyone from making use of the program in a specific field of endeavor. For example, it may not restrict the program from being used in a business, or from being used for genetic research.
7. Distribution of License
The rights attached to the program must apply to all to whom the program is redistributed without the need for execution of an additional license by those parties.
8. License Must Not Be Specific to a Product
The rights attached to the program must not depend on the program's being part of a particular software distribution. If the program is extracted from that distribution and used or distributed within the terms of the program's license, all parties to whom the program is redistributed should have the same rights as those that are granted in conjunction with the original software distribution.
9. License Must Not Restrict Other Software
The license must not place restrictions on other software that is distributed along with the licensed software. For example, the license must not insist that all other programs distributed on the same medium must be open-source software.
10. License Must Be Technology-Neutral
No provision of the license may be predicated on any individual technology or style of interface.
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