...The GNU General Public License (GPL) is a free, copy left license used primarily for software. The GNU GPL allows users to change and share all versions of a program. It’s provided through the Free Software Foundation, a nonprofit corporation that works to provide free software for the GNU Project. *** General Public License is intended to guarantee ones freedom to share and change free software and also to make sure the software is free for all its users. This General Public License applies to most of the Free Software Foundation's software and to any other program whose authors commit to using it. General Public Licenses are designed to make sure that you have the freedom to distribute copies of free software (and charge for this service if you wish), that you receive source code or can get it if you want it, that you can change the software or use pieces of it in new free programs; and that you know you can do these things. History The GNU Program was launched in 1984 for the express purpose of developing operating systems that are similar to Unix. Richard Stallman produced the first GPL through the GNU Program in 1989. Licensees must adhere to the designated terms and conditions of the GPLs and owners may sell copies of programs under GPL, or distribute them for free. With GPL owners are now allowed to modify digital materials as well. Role This License applies to any program or other work which contains a notice placed by the copyright holder saying it may be distributed...
Words: 501 - Pages: 3
...A Practical Guide to Linux Commands, Editors, and Shell Programming SECOND EDITION ® Mark G. Sobell Upper Saddle River, NJ • Boston • Indianapolis • San Francisco New York • Toronto • Montreal • London • Munich • Paris • Madrid Capetown • Sydney • Tokyo • Singapore • Mexico City Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book, and the publisher was aware of a trademark claim, the designations have been printed with initial capital letters or in all capitals. The author and publisher have taken care in the preparation of this book, but make no expressed or implied warranty of any kind and assume no responsibility for errors or omissions. No liability is assumed for incidental or consequential damages in connection with or arising out of the use of the information or programs contained herein. The publisher offers excellent discounts on this book when ordered in quantity for bulk purchases or special sales, which may include electronic versions and/or custom covers and content particular to your business, training goals, marketing focus, and branding interests. For more information, please contact: U.S. Corporate and Government Sales (800) 382-3419 corpsales@pearsontechgroup.com For sales outside the United States, please contact: International Sales international@pearson.com Visit us on the Web: informit.com/ph Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication...
Words: 228961 - Pages: 916
...| Open and Closed Source Systems | GNU Public License and It’s Role | Type College Here | [Type the author name] | 5/13/2013 | | GNU General Public License To start, a GNU is a Unix-like OS that gives users complete freedom to modify or edit the software as they see fit. (GNU.org, 2013) “A Unix-like operating system is a software collection of applications, libraries, and developer tools, plus a program to allocate resources and talk to the hardware, known as a kernel.” (GNU.org, 2013) The GNU General Public License (GNU GPL) is a free, copyleft license for software and other kinds of works. (GNU.org, 2013) The GNU GPL is a license that allows users the freedom to change/modify a program or to share it with others for free. This opens up programs to be edited in a manner that better suits the user. If the original program worked, but not in the way a specific user needs it to, they have the right, through the GNU GPL, to modify it for their needs, or to work better in general. Modified versions of the original software can also be distributed as an individual program. There are a couple different ways to look at this. Positive aspects involve some of which was just discussed; the ability to change a program or share it with other users, along with also being able to share the modified version of the original program. The bright side of this is that there is no one that the user has to get permission from when modifying the program. Given it’s free nature...
Words: 643 - Pages: 3
...GNU Project The GNU project and was founded by Richard Stallman in 1984. GNU is a recursive acronym and stands for GNU is Not Unix. (Free Software Foundation, 2014) The project was put together to make free operating system available to the programming community. The term free was not meant to mean as in money but free as in a person can change, add or develop from the source. The project itself was based on Unix and was created from scratch. This Unix like operating system was called the GNU OS. This free software or GNU packages were and are made available to the public and the programming community, which in turn have lead to other operating systems. To make all distributions free the GNU Public license was created. This license for years has played a big role in making “free” software available. GNU Public License According to the Free Software Foundation website (2014) the GNU packages can include a working OS like Ubuntu or Fedora or you can download specific packages through their distribution servers. All These products are available to download for free and can be modified or changed because of the GNU public license. To make the source code available and make sure that no one uses its source and tries to copyright it and distribute it for sale was one of the obstacles the GNU project faced. The method used to avoid this was called copyleft. “Copyleft uses copyright law, but flips it over to serve the opposite of its usual purpose: instead of a means for restricting...
Words: 574 - Pages: 3
...Selling Free Software Some views on the ideas of selling exceptions to free software licenses, such as the GNU GPL are also available. Many people believe that the spirit of the GNU Project is that you should not charge money for distributing copies of software, or that you should charge as little as possible — just enough to cover the cost. This is a misunderstanding. Actually, we encourage people who redistribute free software to charge as much as they wish or can. If this seems surprising to you, please read on. The word “free” has two legitimate general meanings; it can refer either to freedom or to price. When we speak of “free software”, we're talking about freedom, not price. (Think of “free speech”, not “free beer”.) Specifically, it means that a user is free to run the program, change the program, and redistribute the program with or without changes. Free programs are sometimes distributed gratis, and sometimes for a substantial price. Often the same program is available in both ways from different places. The program is free regardless of the price, because users have freedom in using it. Nonfree programs are usually sold for a high price, but sometimes a store will give you a copy at no charge. That doesn't make it free software, though. Price or no price, the program is nonfree because users don't have freedom. Since free software is not a matter of price, a low price doesn't make the software free, or even closer to free. So if you are redistributing copies...
Words: 1120 - Pages: 5
...legally? This paper will explain just how it is possible due to the GNU project. To start, I will explain who developed the GNU project, and what it is. Next, I will tell you why it was necessary. Lastly, you will hear what revisions have been made to GNU and why. GNU According to Stallings (2012), in 1983 Richard Stallman started a development project; by 1985 he published the GNU Manifesto. GNU is an acronym for GNU’s Not Unix. The GNU project is a free software set of packages and tools for developing a UNIX-like operating system. He also formed the Free Software Foundation (FSF). His goal was to encourage the free exchange of software source code and the free use of that software. Instead of copyrighting software, the FSF “copylifts” the software, this makes sharing and improvement possible among programmers. The GNU General Public License (GPL) allows copylefting and is a common license for releasing free software. The GPL requires that the source code be distributed with any binaries and that any changes made to the source code be released under the same GPL license. FSF’s goal is stable, platform-independent software that is free, high quality, and embraced by the user community. FSF’s GNU project provides tools for software developers, and the GNU Public License is the FSF seal of approval. The GNU project produced many UNIX-compatible tools, including compilers, editors, and utilities. Purpose for GNU According to Stallings (2012), Stallman's goal was to produce...
Words: 778 - Pages: 4
...Free Software, Free Society: Selected Essays of Richard M. Stallman Introduction by Lawrence Lessig Edited by Joshua Gay GNU Press www.gnupress.org Free Software Foundation Boston, MA USA First printing, first edition. Copyright © 2002 Free Software Foundation, Inc. ISBN 1-882114-98-1 Published by the Free Software Foundation 59 Temple Place Boston, MA Tel: 1-617-542-5942 Fax: 1-617-542-2652 Email: gnu@gnu.org Web: www.gnu.org GNU Press is an imprint of the FSF. Email: press@gnu.org Web: www.gnupress.org Please contact the GNU Press for information regarding bulk purchases for classroom or user group use, reselling, or any other questions or comments. Original artwork by Etienne Suvasa. Cover design by Jonathan Richard. Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of this book provided the copyright notice and this permission notice are preserved on all copies. Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this book into another language, from the original English, with respect to the conditions on distribution of modified versions above, provided that it has been approved by the Free Software Foundation. i Short Contents Editor’s Note . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 A Note on Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Topic Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ....
Words: 101866 - Pages: 408
...Page 20-21 1. What is free software? List three characteristics of free software. Free software is a matter of the users’ freedom to run, copy, distribute, study, change and improve the software. Three characteristics are: Freedom to run the program for any purpose, freedom to redistribute copies, and freedom to improve the program and release your improvements to the public. 4. What is the Free Software Foundation/GNU? What is Linux? Which parts of the Linux operating system did each provide? Who else has helped build and refine this operating system? GNU is a project for creating an operating system, both kernel and system programs. Linux is a free kernel that was written in 1991. Linus Torvalds contributed the kernel while the GNU project contributed the system programs. It was built and refined by like-minded programmers all over the world. Page 50 1. Briefly, what does the process of installing an operating system such as Fedora/RHEL involve? It involves copying the operating system files from the installation media to the hard disk(s) on a system and setting up configuration files so Linux runs properly on the hardware. Page 86 1. What is a live system? What advantages does it have over an installed system? A live system is when you run Linux from a CD/DVD instead of installing it on the computer. The advantage is you can test out Linux without disturbing your current operating system. 4. Where on the disk should you put your /boot partition or the root (/) partition...
Words: 520 - Pages: 3
...Pg. 20-21 EX 1) Free software is software that respects users' freedom and community. Roughly, it means that the users have the freedom to run, copy, distribute, study, change and improve the software. 4) The Free Software Foundation is a nonprofit with a worldwide mission to promote computer user freedom and to defend the rights of all free software users. Linux is an open-source operating system modelled on UNIX. Linux is basicly the GNU system. Everyday users have help define this system. Pg. 50 EX 1) Installation of the Fedora/RHEL system involves a. Make sure the BIOS is set to boot from CD/DVD b. Insert the DVD in and reset the computer c. Computer BOOTs from DVD d. Make sure select the boot command line and begin installing Pg. 86 EX 1) A live system usually means an OS booted on a computer from a removable medium. Your OS is portable. I am assuming that you are using USB stick for your live OS. 2. Partitioning headaches for newbies are not there. 3. You can start testing and experiencing any other distro easily if you don't like the current one. 4) Put /boot at the beginning of the drive (partition 1) so that there is no issue of Linux having to boot from a partition too far into the drive. 8) When the system enters runlevel 5 Pg. 498 EX 1. When a system is in single-user Mode you can log in only at the console. With the system in multiuser mode you can log in at any terminal or workstation that is set up...
Words: 386 - Pages: 2
... The whole general idea of FOSS arose in the 1980’s through one Richard Stallman who was the founder and creator of the GNU project which later went on to become the Free Software Foundation. FOSS philosophy simply states that it is the right of every user to use, modify, and distribute computer software for any purpose. The right to use, distribute, modify and redistribute derivative versions, the so called "four freedoms," are based in and representative of an extreme form of anti-discrimination resistant to categorization into the typical “left, center and right” political schema. This element of nondiscrimination, coupled with the broad nature of FOSS's philosophical foundation, enables the easy adoption of FOSS technologies. FOSS's broadly defined freedom acts as an important starting point and one conceptual hinge useful in understanding the wide circulation of FOSS as a set of technologies, signs, methodologies and philosophies. An analysis of the way in which this philosophical and legal form is animated and redirected in particular ways through the use of FOSS technologies and licensing schemes. It is to three contrasting examples of such transmutations that we now turn to. Hiring a cadre of FOSS developers to work in-house on FOSS software, IBM launched the first nationwide advertising campaign promoting the FOSS operating system GNU/Linux. In their first campaign, they highlighted the ideas of openness and freedom in ways that, unsurprisingly,...
Words: 794 - Pages: 4
...A computer programmer named Richard Stallman started the Free Software Movement in the mid 1980’s; Stallman was an avid participant and part of the underground computer hacking and programming culture at MIT during the late 1970’s and early 1980’s. When the hacker culture began to break up and move on to building software for the first personal computers many people who once worked together so closely began to hide the source code they were writing and started to copyright and put exclusive licenses and usage agreements in an effort to limit the copying, altering, and redistribution of the software. To combat this growing trend and Stallman started the GNU Project, which was a collection of free software that could be modified and changed to the users preferences and needs. Stallman’s initial goal was to “Put together a sufficient body of free software so that it will be able to “get along” software that is free. “ Currently the majority of software that is released into the consumer market is considered proprietary software, this means that the coding that runs the software is copywrighiten and cannot be changed, studied, or redistributed in any form. The main stand that Stallman and the Free Software Movement (FSM) take against this concept is they believe that once the software is purchased the end user should be able to change and modify the software as they wish, similar to the way in which after purchasing a car you are able to modify the car as you wish albeit possible...
Words: 596 - Pages: 3
...NT1430 6/27/13 Unit 1 Exercises Assignment 1 Unit 1: 1. Free software is something that is free from the hands of the people you get it from and from this you can change it and modify it to what fits your needs. a. One characteristic of a free software is that the code must go along with the program. b. Users are encouraged to modify the code to make it better and share it with others. c. And lastly you can’t stop or restrict people from sharing this free software. 4. The Free Software Foundation/GNU was a project that was started by Richard Stallman who believed that giving the resources for free software was the way of the future. He also wrote the GNU kernel and system. Linux was developed by Linus Torvalds and was first introduced in September of 1991. Thousands of people world wide have helped make Linux/GNU what it is today. Unit 2: 1. Installing Fedora/RHEL is when you copy the operating system from a CD/DVD and you set up the files so that it works properly on Linux. Unit 3: 1. A live system gives the user the chance to view Fedora without actually installing it. 4. You put /boot at the beginning of the first partition so that Linux has no issue from booting on the drive. 8. You have to set the runlevel to 3, which is text based, and then you can log in and change it to startx. Unit 11: 1. If you log into the system in single-mode you can only sign in at a designated console and some filesystems may not be loaded. However...
Words: 364 - Pages: 2
...BASH SHELL Bash is a Unix shell written by Brian Fox for the GNU Project as a free software replacement for the Bourne shell .Released in 1989, it has been distributed widely as the shell for the GNU operating system and as a default shell on Linux and Mac OS X. It has been ported to Microsoft Windows and distributed with Cygwin and MinGW, to DOS by the DJGPP project, to Novell NetWare and to Android via various terminal emulation applications. Bash is a command processor, typically run in a text window, allowing the user to type commands which cause actions. Bash can also read commands from a file, called a script. Like all Unix shells, it supports filename wildcarding, piping, here documents, command substitution, variables and control structures for condition testing and iteration. The keywords, syntax and other basic features of the language were all copied from sh. Other features, e.g., history, were copied from csh and ksh. Bash is a POSIX shell but with a number of extensions. The name itself is an acronym, a pun, and a description. As an acronym, it stands for Bourne-again shell, referring to its objective as a free replacement for the Bourne shell. As a pun, it expressed that objective in a phrase that sounds similar to born again, a term for spiritual rebirth. The name is also descriptive of what it did, bashing together the features of sh, csh, and ksh. Early computers had a teletype machine with a keyboard for I/O. Later, glass terminals became the norm,...
Words: 369 - Pages: 2
...all (Stallings, 2012). GNU is described as a free software set of packages and tolls for designed for developing a UNIX-like operating system that is often used with the Linux kernel. The Free Software Foundation’s GNU project, or GNU Not Linux, provides the necessary tools to developers and has approved the GNU Public License, or GPL (Stallings, 2012). According to Free Software Foundation, or FSF (2007), the GNU Public License discusses the freedom for designers to share and change all versions of the program. Linux is free software, as in free for anyone to use, modify, or copy without restraint. The GNU Public License, or GPL, provides a list of basic permissions, rights, and conveying verbatim copies (FSF, 2007). The main idea of publishing the GPL licensing terms is that no one who uses Linux and/or creates any Linux-derived copy can make the copy proprietary (Stallings, 2012). Under the GPL, basic permissions are granted to all who use, copy, or modify a GNU program. The basic permissions essentially grant unlimited permission to run an unmodified version of a program (FSF, 2007). According to the FSF (2007), permissions are also granted to convey a derivative of an unmodified program; however, the conditions listed below must be met: * The work must display a notice stating who modified and the date it was modified. * The work must display a notice that it is released under the GPL. * The entire work must be licensed under the GPL to ensure the license...
Words: 540 - Pages: 3
...Contents At a Glance I Advanced UNIX Programming with Linux Advanced Linux Programming 1 Getting Started 3 2 Writing Good GNU/Linux Software 17 3 Processes 45 4 Threads 61 5 Interprocess Communication 95 II Mastering Linux 6 Devices 129 7 The /proc File System 147 8 Linux System Calls 167 9 Inline Assembly Code 189 10 Security 197 11 A Sample GNU/Linux Application 219 III Appendixes A Other Development Tools 259 B Low-Level I/O 281 C Table of Signals 301 D Online Resources 303 E Open Publication License Version 1.0 305 F GNU General Public License 309 Advanced Linux Programming Mark Mitchell, Jeffrey Oldham, and Alex Samuel www.newriders.com 201 West 103rd Street, Indianapolis, Indiana 46290 An Imprint of Pearson Education Boston • Indianapolis • London • Munich • New York • San Francisco Advanced Linux Programming Copyright © 2001 by New Riders Publishing FIRST EDITION: June, 2001 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the publisher, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review. International Standard Book Number: 0-7357-1043-0 Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 00-105343 05 04 03 02 01 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Interpretation of the printing code:The rightmost doubledigit number is the year of the book’s printing; the rightmost single-digit...
Words: 80064 - Pages: 321
