On Monday 25 March 2002 09:53 am, you wrote:
Could someone please post minutes of the RMS lecture for the unfortunate
pls correct me if i am wrong( those who have attended RMS lecture) (i am very sorry about my spellings plz forgive me on that part )
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------- RMS (the founder of FSF Free Software Foundation) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- intro of RMS : the author of emacs (ide and sophoticated editor) gcc (c compiler) bash shell ,GNOME, C libs and many other free s/w under GNU GPL --------------------------------------------------------------------------- T O P I C S --------------------------------------------------------------------------- * How and why FSF started? * How Proprierty s/w is affect social life? * The Concept / Principle of GNU GPL. * What is Free software & how it is different from Open Source? * How Linux OS are GNU/Linux OS * Why to Support GNU ? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* How and why FSF started? ---------------------------------- When RMS was working he had a printer in his lab which was bit older and they have got prob of printer paper jamming (spooling) the s/w that was provided was the free and open sourced so they had modified the s/w such that the s/w will give the error msg "The Printer is Jammed!!" so some body will go to the printer room and then correct the problem. Now after some time they got new laser printer in the MIT lab from Xerox crop. but which was controlled by the Xerox proprietary s/w (no source code only binary with user agreement ) the same prob of the jamming printer has came across the new leser printer .RMS has came to know that some person had got the source code then RMS has gone to him to seek the source code so that RMS can modify and correct the error in the s/w .But the person over there had said "No" to the RMS request. From the above incident RMS has experienced how the propritatry s/w had made him the "Prisoner Of the Software" . This was the incident that turn RMS to think about the Freesoftware movement.
* How Proprietary s/w is affect social life? ------------------------------------------------- According to RMS the propriatry s/w will not allow you to customize the s/w according to the one's need and the customer has to pay money to the company to make a simplest change in the s/w. This is like loosing the freedom of the development of the s/w if this freedom is not present then how can any s/w become strong enough to handle the all valid criteria. It make all the people depend on the one person/company to do the modification and take that modification with blind faith. the monopoly of the company is prevailed by this. thus the proprietary s/w make you me and every one helpless and prisoner of the s/w
* The Concept / Principle of GNU GPL. ------------------------------------------------ What is GNU? (G)NU is (N)ot (U)nix and the GPL is General Public Lincence. for more info see any GNU GPL program. The Basic concept of the GNU is to give freedome to the people to modify the s/w and opt to their needs the GNU has 4 types of Freedom as told by RMS
(1) Freedom to run binary (2) Study the source code (3). Help the neighbor by modifying the code (4.) and Help the World Community for the Enhancement of the s/w
the Freedom (1) is the lowest freedom and freedom (4) is the highest freedom as told by RMS. GNU uses the concept of Copy left as compair to the Copy Right the author of the s/w has to distribute the source code of the s/w if it was deveploed with the help of the GNU GPL lib , programs or environment
The free software can have various advantages over the close or proprietary s/w * the free s/w has open /free market as any body can develop and opt the s/w to his /her need . compared to proprietary software which has the monopoly on the s/w so can not be so powerful as the free s/w. * The Bugs / Virus / mailgious Code in the open/free software can be easily found and patched very easily as the user can understand the logic and study the program. * the support is easily availbe (one just have to search for it :-) )
* What is Free software & how it is different from Open Source? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- What is Free s/w ? The free s/w is the s/w which is has give above all (4) freedoms the Free word in English has various meaning depending upon the stutatuion Free over is not in terms of money but in term of the source code and ... The Free s/w Foundation is different from Open Source. ( I am not clear about Open Source if any body the plz send me the diff)
* How Linux OS are GNU/Linux OS -------------------------------------------- The exitance of the GNU prgs where there before linux trovalds came up with its kernel . the environment was ready and the release of the linux kernel was at right time . so the kernel the core of the OS was integrated with the GNU prgs and the OS was completed. +-------------------------------------------------+ | GNU Prg +-----------------+ GNU Prg | | GNU Prg | linux kernal | GNU Prig | | GNU Prg +----------------+ GNU Prg | +--------------------------------------------------+
so the linux OS are not Only Linux OS but they are GNU/Linux OS as GNU has also developed its own kernel now. The Desktop is GNOME and other utility prgs. the Appls GNUChess
* Why to Support GNU ? ----------------------------- the GNU has its existence before the linux or flavor of linux appeared the GNU has developed the principals and the Environment for the free s/w the GNU doesnot harm the computer society or doesnot teach any one the ethical confilt by any agreement. the GNU has give so much for the computer people . Is n't our duty to return some thing to the FSF of which we are eating the fruit.
the FSF plant is not grown up over night it has taken some years of the developer of FSF members . So i should support FSF. Don't u think that you should also?