| Open and Closed Source Systems | GNU Public License and It’s Role | Type College Here | [Type the author name] | 5/13/2013 |

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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, the user has control over all aspects of the program as long as they abide by the conditions of the GNU GPL. Negative aspects involve more security issues, or the lack thereof. Any program licensed with the GNU GPL is opened for modification leaving the program vulnerable and unsecure. Less people may be inclined to use the software due to the lack of security that comes with an open source program. The GNU GPL has no restrictions on the coding of a program and leaves the door open for those who may corrupt the free software by coding a malware or virus in it. The
When creating a free software program, the developer must remember that there are conditions that must be met to consider the software as “free”. When distributing the software, the developer must remember to include the original coding for the program. Not doing this would be a violation of the GNU GPL. Violations of the GNU GPL can include: missing source code, copies of the software distributed without the GNU GPL and not stating whether the current version of the program is a modified version or the original. Abiding by the conditions set by the GNU GPL allows users to continue creating free software for everyone to use, share and edit.
Conclusion

The GNU GPL is put in place to not only allow users to modify a program or distribute it to everyone they know, but to also inspire people to create new programs that may better the current ones in use today. On the other hand, the security of these programs is a concern. The more people do bad things with open source programming, the less people will download or try another “free software” program. This can lead to less software being created or missing out on a great piece of software becoming free due to the lack of security allowing someone to taint the program. In the end, when choosing whether or not to use a “free” program, be sure to take all precautionary measures as possible.

References

GNU.org. (2013, Feb 28). GNU Operating System. Retrieved from The GNU General Public License v3.0 - GNU Project - Free Software Foundation (FSF): http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html