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The Linux distillery The top Linux/FOSS events of 2007
The Linux distillery The top Linux/FOSS events of 2007 | The top Linux/FOSS events of 2007 |
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| Written by David M Williams | |
| Monday, 31 December 2007 | |
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Page 2 of 3 Gutsy GibbonArguably the most popular Linux distro is Ubuntu, which had a major release in the form of Gutsy Gibbon – otherwise known as the less catchy moniker version 7.10. Gutsy took things a step further: it’s been compared relentlessly against Microsoft-publishes lists of what Vista offers, and has been shown to be a better Vista than Vista. I did it too; here’s Microsoft’s top 10 reasons to upgrade to Windows Vista and why I think they’re actually advocating Gutsy instead. Want a snazzy UI? Want a home media system? Want wireless access with a minimum of fuss? Want the best security and virus protection? The solution has turned out to be Ubuntu. At the end of the day, Ubuntu makes using your computer a breeze. You install it and it runs. Even your grandmother can use it. And, best of all, unlike the collection of Windows Vista options – academic, retail, OEM, home basic, home professional, business, ultimate, open licensing, select licensing, ad nauseum – Ubuntu comes in just one flavour: the LOT – for free. GPL v3 Everyone is used to the complicated legalese end user license agreements – known as EULA’s – which adorn commercial software. Free and open source software is not devoid of its own legalese, and is similarly released under a license. However, the difference between a free software license and its proprietary counterparts is that the free software license exists to explicitly grant permissions not restrict them. In particular, free software licenses grant unalienable rights – the freedom to run a piece of software for any purpose; the freedom to study how the program works and adapt it as desired; the freedom to redistribute copies of the original software to other people and the freedom to release the adapted and improved version to the public. A commercial license will generally deny the last three of these, and even then may still restrict the first. The best known free software license is the GNU public license. This is the license used by all the GNU software, which make up the vast bulk of the applications and utilities that surround the Linux kernel to collectively form what we call “Linux.” In 2007, the third version of this license was released, with GPL v2 having enjoyed a 16 year reign after being released in 1991. What was the issue that occasioned a new release? Read on! CONTINUED
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