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LINUX AND FREE SOFTWARE |
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In art and culture, matters relating
to free software are generally treated from a theoretical standpoint,
while at the same time highlighting their political implications.
In the Consulta media centre at the CASM, CopyFight analyses
new models of intellectual property (in the previous issue of
the Butlletí we published an interview with Lawrence
Lessing, the creator of Creative Commons) and within this broad
field also deals with the subject of free software.To balance
this theoretical angle we are publishing a practical introduction
to free software and Linux:What is it?What does it do?Where can
I get it?How do I use it?
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JORDI VALLS
What is free software?
Free software is software that can be (legally)
copied, resold, run for any purpose, studied, changed and
improved, and the improvements can be published for anyone
to use.
Free software is usually available free of charge,
although this is not compulsory.On the other hand, software
that
is free of charge (freeware and adware) is not free:users
may use it free of charge, but it is not strictly theirs
and their rights are not guaranteed.
What are known as “open source” programs are based on a different philosophy.Although this name removes the ambiguity inherent in the word “free”(which
can refer to both liberty and price), in many cases it
does not allow free distribution of the changes to other
users and it restricts commercial use of them.
Linux
Linux is strictly speaking the name of the kernel
of an operating system (the fundamental part
of any operating system) that is free. The Linux
trademark (serial number 1916230) belongs to
Linus Torvalds and is defined as “computer
operating system software to facilitate computer
use and operation”.
Linux
is based on UNIX, a multi-user system that is
also used by Mac and Solaris (developed by Sun
and recently under open-source licence). But
Linux is not used solely in PCs.Its flexibility
allows
it to be used on more than 20 different platforms
(PC, Macintosh, PowerPC, Sparc, MIPS, etc.) and
it is present in a wide variety of machines that
we use in our daily life, from mobile phones
to cars to washing machines, etc.
GNU/Linux
The GNU Project was set up in 1984 by Richard Stallman for the purpose of developing an operating system based on free software.In the early 1990s, GNU had a large number of tools, such as compilers, debuggers and command interpreters, but had hardly made any progress with creating the kernel itself.So in 1991 they decided to combine the GNU tools with the Linux kernel in order to create a complete operating system.While GNU had wheels, carburettors and a good chassis, Linux had the engine.
Richard Stallman and his followers consider that the
resulting operating system should not be called “Linux” but “GNU/Linux”.But
in the same way as it is a simplification to call the
operating system Linux, it is just as much of a simplification
to give it the name GNU/Linux, since a complete operating
system also consists of many other applications.
Linux distributions
A Linux distribution is a set of applications assembled by a group, a company or a person to enable a complete operating system with its tools and programs to be easily installed under GNU/Linux. If Linux is the engine and GNU/Linux is the complete chassis including the wheels and engine, a distribution is an entire car, with all its components and extras, assuming that we are able to add components or extras when we want (tuning).
Distributions appeared because it was very complicated to install the Linux kernel, the GNU project libraries and the software manually without any installation tools. |
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| Wallpaper de Mozilla |
Wallpaper de Debian |
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| Linux distributions are distinguished
particularly by the configuration tools and by the software
packages for installation.They can be downloaded from the
Internet or acquired on CD/DVD, and they may be free of
charge or not, depending on the philosophy of each distribution.
But at any rate, the user is free to copy, distribute,
change them, etc.
Many Linux distributions also exist in
LiveCD format.A LiveCD is a complete Linux distribution
that is run direct
from the CD.This allows users to use it (and therefore
test it) without needing to make any alterations to their
own system:when the computer is re-booted, it returns to
the original system without any changes having been made.Also
available now are distributions that start up from a FlashDisk,
for example.
Some of the most popular Linux distributions
areDebian, based exclusively on free software and with
versions for all types of computers; Ubuntu, based on Debian,
which is especially easy for beginners to install and use;
Slackware, best known for the stability of its components
rather than its graphics; Red Hat, with good graphics that
make things easier for beginners at the cost of losing
out on efficiency; and Knoppix and other special distributions
such as Dynebolic.All these are distributed solely in LiveCD
format.The features of almost all distributions can be
consulted at http://www.distromania.com/ or http://distrowatch.com/
Desktop environments
A desktop environment is a set of programs offering a complete graphic user interface (GUI) solution:icons, toolbars and integration between applications such as, for example, drag and drop, or clicking on a file to open a specific program.
The first modern desktop environment to be marketed was the Apple in the 1980s. Today, the Windows family is the best known one.The most popular free software desktop environments for Linux are GNOME and KDE as well as others such as WindowMaker, CDE and XFCE.
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| El pingüí Tux, símbol de Linux |
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Not all is Linux
The spread of free software in recent years is due to the development of free programs that operate both in proprietary systems (Windows and Mac OS) and in free systems (Linux). Firefox, developed by Mozilla, has been the most frequently downloaded browser in the last ten years and is one of the four most programs most often downloaded. Comparisons between programs for Windows and for Linux can be found at http://www.linuxgazette.com/node/386 and alts.homelinux.net.
Free software in government offices
Some countries such as Cuba, Brazil, Venezuela and Mexico have adopted Linux as their standard systems.Others such as Germany, although it is migrating its systems, has subsidised free software development communities such as Kroupware.
In Spain, several autonomous regional governments have created their own distributions for administrative or academic use:gnuLinEx in Extremadura, GuadaLinex in Andalucia, LliureX in Valencia, Molinux in Castilla-La Mancha, and MAX in Madrid.
Needless to say, instead of swelling bank accounts in Redmond (Oregon), the use of free systems favours the creation of a domestic industry, with businesses and communities of developers that carry out a specific project and create networks of relations with other communities in order to achieve better quality.
LINUX:advantages and disadvantages for the individual user
ADVANTAGES:
It is more secure.Since the source code is visible,
the community of developers and users can test, monitor and
correct programs and detect and solve any failings in security.
At present there are practically no viruses for Linux.
It
is very robust:it is difficult for an application that fails
to completely crash the computer. Linux systems are the ones
that make best use of the computer’s features and that
need fewer memory resources. It can be obtained free of charge
and most applications are also free of charge. It can be
configured and customised in numerous ways. As it can be
modified locally, this means that it can be translated into
languages that would not be commercially profitable.
DISADVANTAGES:
It is more complicated to install than Windows
or Mac, although it is becoming increasingly more accessible
to ordinary users.
It requires more IT expertise.
There
are no direct substitutes for all commercial applications.However,
contrary to what is often thought, there are no problems
with compatibility or file reading. Some latest-generation
peripherals are not compatible with it (e.g. some Wi-Fi
peripherals) although these are becoming fewer and fewer.They
depend on the speed and requirements of the community.
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Linux:quick guide
The quickest and most effective way of trying out Linux is by downloading a LiveCD.Booting the system from the CD drive, we can browse, save files or burn a CD and nothing will affect the original system.
The next step consists in downloading the installer of a Linux distribution and burning it on to a CD or DVD, from which it can then be run.If you are an advanced user of Windows or Mac, you can divide the disc and run both systems on the same computer.Otherwise, installation will delete the whole disc and install a new operating system.
Before carrying out a complete installation it is advisable to find documentation on the Internet (there is a lot of information provided by other users) as to which peripherals are compatible and which are not, and how to configure them (distributions with Ubuntu or Red-Hat are compatible with a large number of items and help to configure them).
If you have a laptop, information about the most suitable distributions for each model and the difficulties that can occur can be found on websites such as http://www.linux-laptop.net/.
All distributions have user communities with forums on the Internet, and there are also various forums for free software, as well as user groups and developer groups. |
Some free alternatives:
IT for business:OpenOffice (and NeoOffice for Mac), AbiWord, etc.
E-mail applications:Mozilla Thunderbird
Browsers:Mozilla Firefox and Opera
HTML editors:Mozilla Suite and NVU
Image processing:Gimp (and Seashore for Mac)
Viewers:Adobe Reader, GhostView, etc.
Video:Mplayer, Xine, VLC, etc.
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