An Introduction

to FOSS Uditha Bandara Ambassador – Fedora Project Infrastructure Team Member – Fedora Project Manager (Initiatives) - FOSS User Academia udinnet@fedoraproject.org

What is your favorite FREE SOFTWARE?

What is FOSS? • What does 'free' mean? • Does providing source make it Open Source? • Who makes FOSS? Why do they do it? • Is FOSS just for fanatics and hobbyists? • Can you make money with FOSS? • Does FOSS make for better software?

What is FOSS?

"Free software" is a matter of liberty, not price. To

understand the concept, you should think of

"free" as in "free speech," not as in "free beer"

Definitions

- Richard Stallman (FSF)

The word "free" in our name does not refer to price;

it refers to freedom.

• First, the freedom to copy a program and

redistribute it to your neighbors, so that they can

use it as well as you.

•Second, the freedom to change a program, so that

you can control it instead of it controlling you; for

this, the source code must be made available to you

What is FOSS? Definitions

- Free Software Foundation (FSF), Feb 1986

The FOSS philosophy Two major philosophies

• Free Software Foundation (FSF) philosophy

• Open Source Initiative (OSI) philosophy

The Four Freedoms • The freedom to run the program, for any purpose (freedom 0). • The freedom to study how the program works, and adapt it to your needs (freedom 1). Access to the source code is a precondition for this. • The freedom to redistribute copies so you can help your neighbor (freedom 2). • The freedom to improve the program, and release your improvements (and modified versions in general) to the public, so that the whole community benefits (freedom 3). Access to the source code is a precondition for this.

- Richard Stallman (FSF)

Facets of FOSS • Some see it as a resource • Some see it as an ethical choice • Some see it as a technical choice • Some see it as the enemy • Some see it as just another type of software

What is FOSS for you?

Small Story…

Small Story cont…

Small Story cont… • Open recipe

• No cost for the recipe

• Recipe is licensed under General Public License (GPL)

• Anybody can make the drink, modify and improve.

Small Story cont…

http://www.wikihow.com/Make-OpenCola

FOSS: A Bit of history

FOSS: A Bit of history

“hacker” culture

Free Software

Foundation GNU/Linux

GNU?

Richard Matthew

Stallman or “rms”

Open Source

Initiative

GNU-GPL

Netscape

Navigator (1998)

The GNU Project • Announced on September 27, 1983 • Richard Stallman was the founder • GNU’s Not Unix • Initiated GNU OS development in January, 1984 • GNU OS’s Kernel gap was filled by the third party Linux kernel, built by Linus Torvalds ,1991

Handsome GNU Head Typical beard Smart-looking curly horns

Is FOSS free?

Is FOSS free? Let us consider it again…

• “free of charge”, to a certain degree it is true • But there are non-free FOSS (Free/Open Source Software) • Licensing cost may be there • Open Source • 99.9% of the time they are cheaper than proprietary software

What is Linux? • “Linux” was the name of the kernel created by Linus Torvalds.

• Unix-like Operating System

• Kernel; heart of an Operating System

• Runs on wide variety of hardware

• Nowadays Linux

Is Linux FOSS? • FOSS Kernel (http://www.kernel.org) , Licensed under GPL

• Lot of distributions with different components

• Some components may not be FOSS

GNU and Linux • Misunderstanding between Linux kernel and “Linux” • Linus Torvalds didn’t wrote whole “Linux” • “Linux” is only ~3% of the OS • Pure Unix-like OS was GNU • All the “Linux” based distros are modified versions of GNU

Evolution of Linux

Strong idea from Small Calculation

Software Copies Cost

Kaspersky Antivirus 50 $900

MS Internet Information Server 2 $0

MS Windows Server 2008 5 $19,995

MS Commerce Server 1 $12,333

MS ISA Standard Server 1 $1,499

MS SQL Server 1 $4,999

MS Exchange Standard Server 1 $1,299

Window 7 Professional 50 $14,950

MS Visual Studio 3 $3,237

MS Office 50 $23,950

Adobe Photoshop 2 $1,218

Additional Client Access License 30 $2,010

Total $86,390

Microsoft Solution Software Cost

Software Copies Cost

Linux Enterprise Server Distribution (CentOS 6.2) Any # $0

Apache (Web Server) Any # $0

Squid (Proxy Server) Any # $0

MySQL (Database Server) Any # $0

Iptables (Firewall) Any # $0

Sendmail/Postfix (Mail Servers) Any # $0

Qt SDK / GTK + (IDE & FW) Any # $0

GIMP (Graphics) Any # $0

Libre Office Any # $0

OSCommerce (c-Commerce suite) Any # $0

Total $0

Strong idea from Small Calculation

FOSS Solution Software Cost

Software Ecosystem

License Categorization

Re Licensing

AL LGPL/MPL GPL

Advantages of FOSS • Reduced duplication of effort • Building upon the work of others • Better quality control • Reduced maintenance cost

Visit, User & Learn

http://www.gnu.org http://www.opensource.org http://www.kernel.org http://www.fsf.org

Questions?

Thank you!