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Posts Tagged ‘Free software’

Ubuntu Notebook

July 5th, 2010 No comments

Ubuntu represents operating system, developed by the community. The operating system is based on the Linux kernel, which is suited perfectly for notebooks or personal computers. Ubuntu contains the following programs: program designed for Internet browsing, office packages for working with texts, spreadsheets and presentations, programs for communication by the use of Internet and many others.

Ubuntu is distributed free of charge, including corporate versions and safety renovation. Ubuntu enjoys support of Canonical Ltd. and hundreds of companies throughout the world.
The disks with Ubuntu contain only free software. It is noteworthy that the free usage, distribution, improvement of free software has been encouraged.

At present there also Ubuntu Netbook Remix has appeared which represents a system specially designed for notebooks with small screens. The Canonical Company has announced the operating system Ubuntu Netbook Remix officially for devices with smaller screens, controlled by new processors Intel atom. As concerns Netbooks, they represent mini notebooks, such as ASUS eeePC. Such notebooks are very compact and they are mainly used for Internet browsing.

Ubuntu Netbook Remix is based on Ubuntu 8.04 Hardy Heron. Its main innovation is updated interface which is used for application start, which enables to obtain quick access to files located on the small screen of a notebook. Ubuntu Netbook Remix is usually accessible to OEM suppliers because the given version includes some of the proprietary codecs and technologies.

The Ubuntu packages contain the following options: go-home-applet, Window-picker-applet, maximus, human-netbook-theme, ume-launcher, desktop-switcher.

Free Software Foundation Activity

June 17th, 2010 No comments

Free software is software that offers a compute user the freedom to study, modify and redistribute it. Free software is considered the foundation of a learning society, whose purpose is to share experience and knowledge with other computer users and programmers. The free software movement was founded by world famous programmer Richard Stallman in 1983. At that time the computer scientist initiated a GNU project. 2 years later Stallman launched the Free Software Foundation.

One of the main missions of this Foundation is the educating on behalf of programmers from every corner of the globe. Millions of people from the whole world give preference to free software which they install on their computers.

Year after year free software developers gather a great number of copyright assignments from individuals and corporations who work on free software.

Free Software Foundation records the collected copyrights together with US copyright office and issue the license, which enables the users to distribute the software in question. This process guarantees that free software distributors work in compliance with the main obligations to convey freedom to other users, and to share, modify and study the code. This work is possible thanks to free software licensing and Compliance Laboratory. The GNU General Public License, being the most popular free software license in the world is published by FSF. The main object of the world recognized license is the conserving and promoting software freedom. Other licenses, published by Free Software Foundation are the GNU Lesser General Public License, the GNU Free Document License, the GNU Affero General Public License and the GNU Free Document License.

The Foundation supports the freedom of software, being against proprietary software. It is also presents significant resources to the public that include the FSF/Unesco free software directory.

Richard Stallman

June 17th, 2010 No comments

Richard Stallman (born March, 16 1953, New York City) is a world famous programmer. He is the author of such programs as GNU Emacs, the GNU Compiler Collection, and GNU Debugger. Stallman is also considered the founder of free software, GNU project, Free Software Foundation and League for Programming Freedom.

During his years of studies at Harvard University, Richard Stallman worked as a programmer at the MIT Artificial Intelligence Laboratory. After graduating from Harvard University, Stallman became a student at MIT. Soon he refused from his plans to continue his scientific education. In 1984 Stallman gave up working at the Laboratory, to set to work on GNU project, which was founded by him in September, 1983. Beginning with the middle of 1990’s, Richard Stallman developed less software, as he devoted his time to the developing of free software concepts.

Stallman is the author of a great number of essays written on software freedom. He has regularly made speeches which are entitled “The GNU project and the Free Software Movement”, “The Dangers of Software Patents”, and “Copyright and Community in the age of Computer Networks”. In 1999 Stallman suggested developing a free on-line encyclopedia, by inviting people to contribute articles.

Over the time of many years, Richard Stallman has supported the exactness of his terminology. Stallman does not accept the term “open source software” because it does not render the value of the software such as freedom. He asks people to use the term “free software”, because of the freedom issues of this software. He also affirms that one has to say “proprietary software” instead of “closed source software”, in the event if, the software can not be distributed, used or modified freely. It is noteworthy that Richard Stallman takes the terminology most seriously. For instance, he agrees to give interview only to those journalists who will use his terminology in the article.