Around 20 years ago a programmer at MIT quit his job to develop a complete and free Unix-style operating system--the GNU system. That programmer was Richard Stallman, also known as rms, the founder of the Free Software Foundation.
Since 1984 he has fought for software freedom and created the concept of free software. Software is considered free if users have the following 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.
* The freedom to redistribute copies so you can help your neighbor (freedom 2).
* The freedom to improve the program and release your improvements to the public, so that the whole community benefits (freedom 3). Access to the source code is a precondition.
Copyleft licenses protect these four freedoms. The most prominent license is the GNU General Public License, which allows the author to retain a copyright and permits redistribution and modification under terms designed to ensure that all modified versions of the software remain under copyleft terms.
In this period of threats to freedom, Federico Biancuzzi interviewed this freedom paladin.
Read the full interview at :
*www.linuxjunkies.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=1370
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Since 1984 he has fought for software freedom and created the concept of free software. Software is considered free if users have the following 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.
* The freedom to redistribute copies so you can help your neighbor (freedom 2).
* The freedom to improve the program and release your improvements to the public, so that the whole community benefits (freedom 3). Access to the source code is a precondition.
Copyleft licenses protect these four freedoms. The most prominent license is the GNU General Public License, which allows the author to retain a copyright and permits redistribution and modification under terms designed to ensure that all modified versions of the software remain under copyleft terms.
In this period of threats to freedom, Federico Biancuzzi interviewed this freedom paladin.
Read the full interview at :
*www.linuxjunkies.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=1370
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