Free Software

[dillbertdabomb]

Ok Free Software is something thats easy to grasp, right? well I wanted to get ubuntu (a distrib of linux)
and my dad says that free software is not to be trusted. Well alot of software is free right? Well why do people make free software? What are communties trying to get out of us? Is free software bad? Maybe Im just not understanding this right... do they do it for the better good of oter people? to gain respect? or just gain experince? Well and most of all... Is free software 100% safe?

 

[Brandon]

Ok Free Software is something thats easy to grasp, right? well I wanted to get ubuntu (a distrib of linux)
and my dad says that free software is not to be trusted. Well alot of software is free right? Well why do people make free software? What are communties trying to get out of us? Is free software bad? Maybe Im just not understanding this right... do they do it for the better good of oter people? to gain respect? or just gain experince? Well and most of all... Is free software 100% safe?

Because they can make money other ways. And Ubuntu (which is good) is not free, its open source

 

[dillbertdabomb]

Whats the diffrence, maybe thats what i'm not understanding?

 

[Starshine]

Definition of Open Source :

http://www.opensource.org/docs/definition.php

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open%5Fsource

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_Source_Definition

Maybe those will help explain.

 

[Brandon]

Free Software, you can download, but Open Source software means the source code it avalible for it. Some examples are

Apache Web Server
MySQL Server
PHP
Most Linux Distros


Open Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_Source
Free Software: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_Software

 

[dillbertdabomb]

so you can change it whenever you want?

 

[Brandon]

so you can change it whenever you want?

I guess so, I just install it, im not much of an application developer...

-Brandon

 

[tenkabuto]

Normally to gain respect with their product and experience with managing their software. Giving things away free, can be harder than selling.

 

[kryptonyte]

You really just have to know what software can be trusted and what can't be. Most linux distributions are safe, if your unsure just look for it on www.distrowatch.com and see how it ranks up. I know Ubuntu is safe since I use it and it is widely supported by ITs and developers. Free software isn't at all unsafe as long as you do a little research on it before hand. A simple google search usually reveals whether that software is trusted or not.

And on the whole Open Source/Free Software thing Open Source is essentially free software with an added bonus...that the source is readily available.

 

[disturbedart]

yes Linux Ubuntu is safe in many ways and so is many other linux distros. you can download it with no worries of virus or messing up. easiest way if u havent got the time to download the dvd just get the livecd and update through that it saves alot of time

Dvd = 3odd GB
live cd = 678mb

 

[Richard]

As RMS says "Think free as in speech, not free as beer" I think that sums it up.

How about this, Novell is one of the biggest software companies in the world and they develop SuSE Linux and give it away.

Or RedHat who are listed on NASDAQ (RHAT).

Or even Oracle who prefer Linux to run there database because its more secure.

I'm sure people trust them

 

[Cynical]

Depending on the vendor, free software can usually be trusted -- just make sure you know who you are downloading from.

Open source usually means it is free.

 

[noerrorsfound]

Ok Free Software is something thats easy to grasp, right? well I wanted to get ubuntu (a distrib of linux)
and my dad says that free software is not to be trusted. Well alot of software is free right? Well why do people make free software? What are communties trying to get out of us? Is free software bad? Maybe Im just not understanding this right... do they do it for the better good of oter people? to gain respect? or just gain experince? Well and most of all... Is free software 100% safe?

Tell your dad he has no idea what he's talking about and should never speak to you again.

 

[dillbertdabomb]

Hes not really the computer type... and i wanna get some linux cds through shipit, how long does that take?

 

[noerrorsfound]

How Long Will It Take?

Short Answer: 6-10 Weeks Shipment time can vary considerably in relation to a wide range of factors (when you order CDs; where you are located in the world; the speed of your local mail delivery; etc). That said, a good rule of thumb is to allow at least 6-10 weeks for delivery although in some cases they will be delivered substantially more quickly. Instead, you may prefer to download the CD images and record them yourself.

 

[jvp856]

Hes not really the computer type... and i wanna get some linux cds through shipit, how long does that take?

So why do you listen to him?
(if you wonder if a program is safe or not it's wise to post a thread on a forum, like you did,instead of listening to your dad:biggrin

 

[Cubeform]

Here's the Free Software debate, all over again.

The GNU GPL (General Public License, the license used for most open source software) states that you can sell the program, although I haven't encountered that.

Now, some people define Free Software as "software which can be used, copied, studied, modified and redistributed without restriction". Freedom.

But, some people call that Open Source Software. Some call it Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) or even Free/Libre/Open Source Software (FLOSS)! The latter 2 are used by people who don't want to side on either name.

Some people believe that Open Source Software and Free Software are philosophically different from each other.

Now, the "free software" your dad is thinking about is "Freeware" (again, more very similar terms), which is free, but not Free/Open Source/Libre Software.

Getting confused by names? Me too. I call $0 software "Freeware" and Open Source software... Open Source Software.

These names are getting ridiculous in my opinion.

 

[TST Admin]

Almost all Linux distros are safe. If you download things from a safe source then you should be ok.

 

[Futeki]

Isn't Open Source just as vulnerable as say Windows? It's just that most hackers and such attack Windows because they hate Windows/MS/Bill Gates is what I always thought/heard it was/is.

 

[Origin]

Linux is constantly updated.