Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) has been a pinnacle of the corporate world ever since it came around. It has been an easy to use and replicate without worry of patent or licensing infringement. However, in 2006 Microsoft found that many of their patents had been infringed upon by several different aspects. The Linux kernel found in most servers was one of them. Microsoft took a big leap going after FOSS for 235 patents. FOSS is run by Stallman who was responsible for the GNU Manifesto
Words: 333 - Pages: 2
that means GNU is Not Unix. It is a type of operating system that remains free to users. Free means having the freedom to use the source code and to modify that source code. LINUX uses GNU. LINUX is the kernel and because the kernel cannot run by itself GNU Operating System is used with it. GNU general public license was copyrighted in 2007 to keep its program free to everyone. Anyone is allowed to use it verbatim for free but are not allowed to change the general public license ("Gnu Operating
Words: 336 - Pages: 2
Assignment 1 Chapter 1 1. Free software gives the user the freedom to run, copy, distribute, change and improve the software. Three of the characteristics are: a. The freedom to run the program for any purpose. b. The freedom to redistribute copies to help your neighbor. c. The freedom to study how the program works and adapt it to their needs. 4. The Free Software Foundation is a non-profit organization that promotes computer user freedom and their rights and GNU is
Words: 416 - Pages: 2
Chapter 11: System Administration: Core Concepts * Sobell, Chapter 16: Administration Tasks Chapter 1: Welcome To Linux 1. What is free software? List three characteristics of free software. Free Software is a matter of liberty, not price. Three characteristics of free software are the ability to distribute and change, ability to improve freely, and free to study. 2. Why is Linux popular? Why is it popular in academia? GNU/Linux is portable, is based on standards, is written in C, has
Words: 317 - Pages: 2
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
Words: 643 - Pages: 3
pact also included a marketing collaboration. Microsoft agreed to pay Novell $240 million for "coupons" that it could then resell to customers (theoretically for a profit), who would, in turn, trade them in for subscriptions to Novell's Linux server software. In addition, Microsoft gave Novell another $108 million as a "balancing payment" in connection with the patent part of the deal. It might seem counterintuitive that Microsoft would end up paying millions to Novell when Microsoft is the one trying
Words: 587 - Pages: 3
of the Free Software Foundation (FSF) was who originally written the GNU or simply GPL. The case is, most software’s don’t want you to share or change the program. This means that they are trying to take away freedoms of having the program. What the GNU General Public License is designed to do is the opposite of that because it offers freedom to share and change the software and to make sure it is free for all of its users. This creation caused it to be the most widely used free software license
Words: 632 - Pages: 3
1. What is free software? List three characteristics of free software. a. Free software, also known as software libre, or open source software, is a type of software that can be used and modified by the software owner, as well as redistributed. b. Free software is not synonymous with "freeware," which is software that is available for use free of charge, but may or may not be modified. This software is sometimes also free of charge, but sometimes requires a fee to purchase; the "free" in the name
Words: 382 - Pages: 2
shadow hanging over Linux and other free software, and it's being cast by Microsoft (Charts, Fortune 500). The Redmond behemoth asserts that one reason free software is of such high quality is that it violates more than 200 of Microsoft's patents. And as a mature company facing unfavorable market trends and fearsome competitors like Google (Charts, Fortune 500), Microsoft is pulling no punches: It wants royalties. If the company gets its way, free software won't be free Anymore. The conflict pits Microsoft
Words: 504 - Pages: 3
In 2006, Microsoft posted a high-level summary of 235 patents that were allegedly violated by free and open source software (Foss), including the Linux kernel, samba, openoffice.org and others. Shortly after that, MS entered into a series of three contracts with NOVELL, one of which was a patent agreement that said, "don’t sue us and we won't sue you" At the time of this scenario, some dire consequences were predicted for Foss. This is how Foss has fared since then. Well, Linux is still alive and
Words: 708 - Pages: 3
