GNU, Free Software, and Open Source Software

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Contents

[edit] Introduction

The purpose of software is to do things hardware can do, but to be more flexible about it. It is in this flexibility that different opinions can arise. So, to be legal about these things, organisations were developed and each drafted documents on their particular beliefs on software and how it should be handled. Each turns out to be a philosphical difference, so as a Linux user it's just important to know about the key players of this game. Each in turn has made important contributions to the world of Linux.

[edit] Brief History of GNU and Linux

In the early 1980s, Richard Stallman started a software project at MIT. It was the GNU Project (pronounced guh-NEW) and its goal was give users back the freedoms they had with computers and software before big companies entered the computer market. The GNU Project attempted to create a complete software system that allowed the users "to run, copy, modify and distribute" all the software.

A vast array of user and system programs were created by the GNU team but until just recently the GNU system lacked a fully working kernel (the heart of the operating system). This is where Linux comes in.

In the early 1990s Linus Torvalds created a toy operating system while at school, this was Linux (pronounced LEE-nux). Originially Linus didn't think think that his little project would ever develop to a powerful and robust operating system but it did.

Once Linux was stable and powerful enough, the users and developers used the programs, tools and libraries created by the GNU Project to make a complete and perfectly usable system. And thats how the GNU/Linux system was born.

[edit] Infighting and On Going Issues

There is a good deal of infighting between the GNU and Linux teams and their users. The problem really stems from the joint history of GNU and Linux and incorrect definitions.

An operating system is the inner most software part of a computer system. The operating system talks to the hardware and provides the foundation for all other programs. Linux is a kernel, the core of the operating system. The difference is slight and really not important. However since many people come from the Microsoft Windows realm, the exact definition of operating system becomes confused.

In Windows the kernel, operating system and the core libraries and programs all come bundled in one package which is called "Windows." Too many people called this entire package an operating system. A more correct term would be "software system."

In Linux the kernel and operating system is completely seperate from the core libraries and programs, but without both you can't really use your computer. This is where the problem shows itself. People often call this entire package "Linux", even though Linux is just one part. The GNU Project members believe that calling the system "Linux" fails to give them the proper credit and many people started calling the entire system a "GNU/Linux" system.

Tempers and emotions run high whenever the subject of "Linux" versus "GNU/Linux" is brought up.

[edit] Free Software & Open Source

There are two groups at play here: the Free Software Foundation and the Open Source Initiative. The difference is a fine line, that isn't always the quickest thing to distinguish. You might say that the FSF folks are a bit more eccentric and their definition is more constricting than the OSI folks. The FSF people are very concerned about keeping software free (as in speech) and source code available forever, so they only allow the GNU General Public Licenses for code that they feel is in their realm. The OSI actually allows several other software licenses to be used, so this gives more flexibility to the software developers to really choose a license they like. This just turns out to be a philosphical difference and there is no right or wrong position to take.

FSF advocates software to be free because it is right. OSS advocates software to be free because it leads simply to better software and reduced costs, hence being more pragmatic, but willing to compromise in some areas.

As an example of the protective nature of the FSF folks, Richard Stallman would not consider visiting CLUG until somehow we incorporated GNU into the club name. This does not make him a "bad guy" to any extent, but it show his particular nature when it comes to software.

[edit] External Links

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