Thursday, November 15, 2012

Answers to all W's of FOSS


My technical background:
  • Programming languages:- C, C++, PYTHON
  • Database : MySQL, Postgresql
  • Web Tool :- HTML, JAVA SCRIPT
  • Operating systems:- Ubuntu 12.04 

    I have stopped using proprietary softwares since 2012. In my HP laptop with 2gb ram and 500gb hard disk, I just have Ubuntu 12.04 installed & no other OS. It is user friendly. It is lightweight. Not lethargic. Incase if any program hangs then only that particular program hangs not the entire system. We can make our distro versions of Ubuntu too. Easy to start easy to shut down. Installation of Ubuntu is easier than Windows with built-in applications. Unlike Windows there is no need for any PC suite for any external hardware connection. Connecting external hardware is just a cakewalk. Thus there are still many more interesting features. One can just use a live CD of Ubuntu to give it a try.

    Project I am working on:
    I am working on an Accounting software called GNUKhata under Project Leader Mr. Krishnakant Mane in IIT Bombay. It has pylons framework and developed in python language. It is like an alternative for tally in Linux. 
What is FOSS?
Free and open-source software (F/OSS, FOSS) or free/libre/open-source software (FLOSS) is software that is both free software and open source. It is liberally licensed to grant users the right to use, copy, study, change, and improve its design through the availability of its source code. It have been increasingly recognized by both individuals and corporations. Free as in freedom and not free of cost. One need not shell out bucks for buying anti-viruses. 
We have the freedom to customize, modify and redistribute. As source code is open, we can detect bugs as it was rightly said “with enough eyeballs bugs are shallow”. Industries don't use proprietary as bugs are hidden so less security, many restrictions and no freedom. In 1983, Richard Stallman, longtime member of the hacker community at the MIT, Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, announced the GNU project, saying that he had become frustrated with the effects of the change in culture of the computer industry and its users. Software development for the GNU operating system began in January 1984, and the Free software foundation (FSF) was founded in October 1985. He developed The Free Software Definition and the concept of 'copyleft', designed to ensure software freedom for all.
The Linux kernel, started by Linus Torvolds, was released as freely modifiable source code in 1991. The first licence wasn't a free software licence.
In 1997, Eric Raymond published The Cathedral And The Bazaar, a reflective analysis of the hacker community and free software principles.This code is today better known as Mozilla Firefox and Thunderbird. The primary obligation of users of free software licenses such as the GPL is to preserve the rights of other users under the terms of the license. Such a license is focused on ensuring that users' rights to access and modify the software cannot be denied by developers who redistribute the software.
The Free Software Foundation considers Apple's App Stores to be incompatible with its GPL and complained that Apple was infringing on the GPL with its iTunes terms of use. Rather than change those terms to comply with the GPL, Apple removed the GPL-licensed products from its App Stores. The authors of VLC, one of the GPL-licensed programs at the center of those complaints, recently began the process to switch from the GPL to the LGPL
The Government of kerala, India, announced its official support for Free/Open Source Software in its State IT Policy of 2001.
National Resource Centre for Free and Open Source Software (NRCFOSS) is an initiative of the Department of Information Technology, Ministry of Communications & Information Technology, Government of India. NRCFOSS was setup in Chennai in April 2005 with the twin roles of bridging the digital divide as well as strengthening the Indian Software industry. NRCFOSS contributes to the growth of FOSS in India through Research & Development, Human Resource Development, Networking & Entrepreneurship development, as well as, serve as the reference point for all FOSS related activities in the country.

SOME FOSS EQUIVALENT TO PROPRIETARY SOFTWARES


CATEGORY PROPRIETORY FOSS
OFFICE MS OFFICE OPEN OFFICE
DESKTOP PUBLISHING ADOBE PAGEMAKER SCRIBUS
IMAGE MANIPULATION/GRAPHICS PRODUCTION ADOBE PHOTOSHOP GIMP
EMAIL MICROSOFT OUTLOOK THUNDERBIRD
WEB BROWSER INTERNET EXPLORER FIREFOX
VOICE OVER IP SKYPE EKIGA
DATABASE MS ACCESS POSTGRESQL
MEDIA PLAYER MICROSOFT MEDIA PLAYER VLC
CHAT YAHOO MESSENGER PIDGIN
VIDEO EDITING ADOBE PREMIER CINELERRA,KINO









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