Introduction to Free Software

Deﬁnition
Facts
Myths
Actors
Conclusions

Introduction to Free Software
Deﬁnition, facts, myths, actors

Jean-Etienne Poirrier

http://www.poirrier.be/

June 28th, 2007

Jean-Etienne Poirrier Introduction to Free Software

Deﬁnition
Facts
Freedom
Myths
What are free software?
Actors
Conclusions

Software


Deﬁnition
Facts
Freedom
Myths
Actors
Conclusions

Free ... Software?


Deﬁnition
Facts
Freedom
Myths
Actors
Conclusions

Freedom
No subordination, no thrall, no constraint, no pressure applied by others


Deﬁnition
Facts
Freedom
Myths
Actors
Conclusions

In the actual computer world ...

obliged to buy a computer with an imposed operating system
“intellectual property ” → theft, piracy
outlandish and incompatible ﬁle formats
lack of transparency regarding security


Deﬁnition
Facts
Freedom
Myths
Actors
Conclusions

Free Software 4 Freedoms

The freedom to run the program, for any purpose.
1

The freedom to study how the program works, and adapt it to your needs.
2

Access to the source code is a precondition for this.
The freedom to redistribute copies so you can help your neighbor.
3

The freedom to improve the program, and release your improvements to
4

the public, so that the whole community beneﬁts. Access to the source
code is a precondition for this.


Deﬁnition
Facts
Freedom
Myths
Actors
Conclusions

Some licences ...

More info: http://www.gnu.org/licenses/


Deﬁnition Operating System
Facts Word processors
Myths Spreadsheets
Actors Internet
Conclusions Games

Operating Systems

Linux (RedHat, Fedora, Debian, Ubuntu, SuSE, ...),
FreeDOS, FIASCO, ReactOS, S.Ha.R.K., V2OS, ...


Myths Spreadsheets
Actors Internet
Conclusions Games

Write texts

Writer, AbiWord, KWord, ...


Myths Spreadsheets
Actors Internet
Conclusions Games

Do some computation

Calc, Gnumeric, KSpread, ...


Myths Spreadsheets
Actors Internet
Conclusions Games

Surf on the web

Firefox, Konqueror, ...


Myths Spreadsheets
Actors Internet
Conclusions Games

Play

Wormux, minesweeper, sudoku, 3D, racing, chess, ...


Deﬁnition Diﬃculties
Facts Windows, Linux, MacOS, ...
Myths Cost
Actors Security
Conclusions Languages management

Myths about Free Software


Myths Cost
Actors Security

Too complicated for normal people?


Myths Cost
Actors Security

They already are used in kindergarten!

GCompris, educational software for children from 2 to 10 years old


Myths Cost
Actors Security

They became easy to install

And are they easy to use? Just listen to the next 2 presentations!


Myths Cost
Actors Security

Windows, Linux, MacOS, ...

Free Software are available on nearly all possible operating systems (free or not)


Myths Cost
Actors Security

Shareware, freeware, free-as-in-free-beer software

But freely re-distributable with source code!


Myths Cost
Actors Security

Free Software, security and support

Way better privileges and access management, software actions monitoring,
speed of bugs correction, ... (very active) Community support + support from
commercial companies


Myths Cost
Actors Security

Free Software are very often multilingual

KDE is available in 34 languages, e.g.!


Myths Cost
Actors Security

Linux is even available in Walloon !


Deﬁnition
Richard M. Stallman
Facts
Eric S. Raymond
Myths
Linus Torvalds
Actors
Eben Moglen
Conclusions

Richard M. Stallman

54 years-old
hacker (noble meaning)
free software activist
software patents destroyer
father of the GNU project
(1983)
father of the Free Software
Foundation (1985)
father of the Emacs text editor
and other basic tools for
operating systems
http://www.stallman.org/
http://www.gnu.org/


Deﬁnition
Richard M. Stallman
Facts
Eric S. Raymond
Myths
Linus Torvalds
Actors
Eben Moglen
Conclusions

Eric S. Raymond

50 years-old
hacker (noble meaning)
founder of the “Open Source”
movement
“The Cathedral and the
Bazaar”, 1997
disputed member of the
Community
http://www.catb.org/ esr/
http://www.opensource.org/


Deﬁnition
Richard M. Stallman
Facts
Eric S. Raymond
Myths
Linus Torvalds
Actors
Eben Moglen
Conclusions

Linus Torvalds

38 years-old
creator of the Linux kernel
self-proclaimed “benevolent
dictator” of the Linux kernel
development
rarely goes out of his modesty
(but when he does, the entire
world knows it!)
http://www.cs.helsinki.ﬁ/u/torvalds/


Deﬁnition
Richard M. Stallman
Facts
Eric S. Raymond
Myths
Linus Torvalds
Actors
Eben Moglen
Conclusions

Eben Moglen

47 years-old
law professor
founder and director of the
Software Freedom Law Center
defending Free Software legal
interests
Free Software Foundation
member
GNU GPLv3 writer
“Anything that is worth copying
is worth sharing”
http://emoglen.law.columbia.edu/
http://www.softwarefreedom.org/


Deﬁnition
Facts
Myths
Actors
Conclusions

Free Software ...

they are good, use them!
they can be freely copied and used
they allow us to easily do common tasks and much more!
they target all the ages, all the interests
they are not automatically free (as in free beer)
they are rather well documented
What are you waiting for?


Deﬁnition
Facts
Myths
Actors
Conclusions

To know more...

LiLiT (Liege Linux Team) : http://www.lilit.be/ and its Meeting Parties,
Installation Parties and its participation to various other events
Free Software Foundation : http://www.fsf.org/
Framasoft : http://www.framasoft.net/ (in French)
Wikipedia : http://en.wikipedia.org


Deﬁnition
Facts
Myths
Actors
Conclusions

Many thanks to...

LiLiT and its volunteers who prepared this evening
Richard Stallman and Linus Torvalds to initiate this movement, both at a
philosophical and technical standpoint
you for your attention and because you will try free software, right now!
This presentation is available on http://www.poirrier.be/


Introduction to Free Software

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