14
edits
Changes
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
Line 1:
Line 1: + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + Line 33:
Line 55: − − ==Prescient Quotes on Linux-Unix-Ubuntu-FreeBSD Surveillance== − * "The progress of [[science]] in furnishing the [[big government|government]] with means of [[espionage]] is not likely to stop with [[wiretap]]ping. Ways may some day be developed by which the [[Police state|government]], without removing papers from [[hard disk|secret drawers]], can reproduce them in [[Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court|court]], and by which it will be enabled to expose to a [[jury]] the most intimate occurrences of the home. Advances in the [[computer science|psychic and related sciences]] may bring means of exploring unexpressed beliefs, thoughts and emotions. 'That places the [[liberty]] of every [[citizen|man]] in the hands of every [[tyrant|petty officer]]' was said by James Otis of much lesser [[tyranny|intrusions]] than these. 1 To Lord Camden a far slighter intrusion seemed '[[subversive]] of all the comforts of society.' Can it be that the [[Constitution]] affords no [[Right to Privacy|protection]] against such invasions of [[Fourth Amendment|individual security]]?" − ** [[Louis Brandeis]]''' (1856-1941), [[United States Supreme Court]] [[Associate Justice]] Dissenting, ''[[Olmstead v. United States]]'', 277 U.S. 438 (1928). Line 112:
Line 130: + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Overhaul! I have merged Linux with GNU/Linux and redirected to this page. I have written a comprehensive overview of Linux at the top of this page and cleaved the quotes section as it was not relevant.
[[Image:Tuxie.jpg|thumb|right|"Tux", the Linux mascot|90px]]
[[Image:Tuxie.jpg|thumb|right|"Tux", the Linux mascot|90px]]
Note: [[Linux]] redirects here to avoid confusion and excessive schismatic confusion.
[[GNU/Linux]]" refers to either of:
* the [[Linux kernel]] - A kernel is the very core of an [[Operating System]] such as Windows which uses the NT Kernel. The Linux kernel was developed in the C language and some assembly language by [[Linus Torvalds]] in the early 1990s.
* the [[GNU/Linux]] operating system is the formal name for Linux which is almost always coupled with base software and libraries developed by [[Richard Stallman]]
==Practical Overview==
GNU/Linux is a bit of a mouthful, and is usually what is referred to as simply [[Linux]]. There is a rather political debate in the GNU/Linux community as to what the operating system itself should be called. Technically it is GNU/Linux as Linux alone is simply a kernel and nobody really runs an operating system which is just a kernel.
Since this is Conservapedia, I think it should be said first that there is some alleged connection between [[Communism]] and [[GNU/Linux]]. This is mostly because Linux uses the [[GPL]] "copy left" licensing format, which allows all users access to the source code of the Linux kernel itself and the higher layers of the entire operating system. Most common [[software]] used in Linux operating systems are at least [[Open Source]] and preferably [[Free and Open Source]] or FOSS, Free and Open Source Software.
End users of free and open source software have the ability to view, modify, and repackage and redistribute modifications to the source code of the software. Not only can they do this, but these modifiers may call the new product their product entirely. It does not need to be credited to the previous coder, even if the modification is very slight. Because most of the GNU/Linux world from the operating system to its software and libraries are free and not for-profit, it has been correlated with [[Communism]] in the minds of some conservatives. In reality, this is a rather silly notion. If anything, it could be said that GNU/Linux extrapolates the good parts of Communism without the totalitarian elite dictatorship part. In its essence, Communism is a society without a centralized government, and Linux can represent "true" Communism just as well as "ideal" [[Libertarianism]]. All-in-all, it is a radical approach in relation to Microsoft and their for-profit model.
Almost ironically, GNU/Linux is the go-to operating system for [[Servers]] in computing. Most web sites are hosted either on Linux or [[BSD]] servers. This is because both Linux and BSD are Unix-based and were intrinsically designed to handle secure networking from the get-go. Widows, on the other hand, was an addon to Microsoft Disk Operating System or DOS (MS-DOS), which was not a network-oriented platform. Henceforth, every version of [[Microsoft Windows]] has suffered major security exploits along with NSA-implemented backdoors. The Microsoft model of "security" is to leave back doors they know about in the OS and let the NSA have access to them for so long, before patching them and creating new backdoors.
Many would argue, whether you are a conservative or a leftist, if you want to avoid major security risks in your day-to day computing, you should run a GNU/Linux distribution on your personal computer. Easy-to-install distributions include [[Ubuntu]], Solus, Manjaro, Arch, and others. See [[Richard Stallman]] and his lectures available on [[YouTube]] for more information on the moral and ethical advantages of using GNU/Linux and avoiding non-free software at all costs. Many many enterprises are switching to Linux every single day whether it is implementing it in a traffic meter or a school network system. GNU/Linux distributions are only lacking in two major areas compared with non-free Windows and Mac OS X:
1) Gaming - It is getting better, with more support added every year, but if you are a hardcore gamer you may want to run Windows in a virtual machine within Linux (for added security layers) or dual-boot your computer to run Windows when you want to game.
2) Audio and Video Production - Linux simply lacks in software here. The big giants who make programs like digital audio workstations or Guitar Rig simply don`t make their software for Linux natively. Keep in mind, this isn`t because they couldn`t theoretically sell it for profit on Linux and keep the software [[closed source]] but because so many fewer use Linux. The same goes for video editing software.
==History==
The '''GNU/Linux''' operating system is [[free software]] created to replace the [[Unix]] [[operating system]]. The system aims towards POSIX compliance, though it is not officially compliant and therefore cannot bear the trademark "UNIX."
The '''GNU/Linux''' operating system is [[free software]] created to replace the [[Unix]] [[operating system]]. The system aims towards POSIX compliance, though it is not officially compliant and therefore cannot bear the trademark "UNIX."
The GNU project was started by [[atheist]] programmer [[Richard Stallman]] and was the impetus behind the creation of the [[Free Software Foundation]]. Except for the small but essential [[kernel]] (called [[Linux]] after its creator [[Linus Torvalds]]), substantial components of the operating system code were created by Stallman and other FSF contributors. There's a dispute over whether the FSF should be credited when mentioning the use of Linux. The trade press refer to the overall system as "Linux", which annoys Stallman to no end. Essays on the FSF website promote the use of the term "GNU/Linux" when referring to a system with Linux kernel and GNU project core components.
The GNU project was started by [[atheist]] programmer [[Richard Stallman]] and was the impetus behind the creation of the [[Free Software Foundation]]. Except for the small but essential [[kernel]] (called [[Linux]] after its creator [[Linus Torvalds]]), substantial components of the operating system code were created by Stallman and other FSF contributors. There's a dispute over whether the FSF should be credited when mentioning the use of Linux. The trade press refer to the overall system as "Linux", which annoys Stallman to no end. Essays on the FSF website promote the use of the term "GNU/Linux" when referring to a system with Linux kernel and GNU project core components.
==Misconceptions about GNU/Linux==
==Misconceptions about GNU/Linux==
GNU/Linux is in often referred to as GNU/Linux, because Linux is not an operating system unto itself, but rather another free component of a fully functioning GNU system made useful by the GNU corelibraries, shell utilities and vital system components comprising a full Operating System as defined by POSIX. Many computer users run a modified version of the GNU system every day, without realizing it. Through a peculiar turn of events, the version of GNU which is widely used today is often called "Linux", and many of its users are not aware that it is basically the GNU system, developed by the GNU Project. There really is a Linux, and these people are using it, but it is just a part of the system they use. Linux is actually the kernel, a minuscule program in the operating system that allocates the machine's resources to the other programs that you run. The kernel is an essential part of an operating system, but useless by itself; it can only function in the context of a complete operating system. Linux is normally used in combination with the GNU operating system: the whole system is basically GNU with Linux added, or GNU/Linux. Therefore, the so-called "Linux" distributions are really distributions of GNU/Linux.
GNU/Linux is in often referred to as GNU/Linux, because Linux is not an operating system unto itself, but rather another free component of a fully functioning GNU system made useful by the GNU corelibraries, shell utilities and vital system components comprising a full Operating System as defined by POSIX. Many computer users run a modified version of the GNU system every day, without realizing it. Through a peculiar turn of events, the version of GNU which is widely used today is often called "Linux", and many of its users are not aware that it is basically the GNU system, developed by the GNU Project. There really is a Linux, and these people are using it, but it is just a part of the system they use. Linux is actually the kernel, a minuscule program in the operating system that allocates the machine's resources to the other programs that you run. The kernel is an essential part of an operating system, but useless by itself; it can only function in the context of a complete operating system. Linux is normally used in combination with the GNU operating system: the whole system is basically GNU with Linux added, or GNU/Linux. Therefore, the so-called "Linux" distributions are really distributions of GNU/Linux.
==See Also==
==See Also==
* http://www.nocards.org - [[Coalition Against Unsolicited Commercial Email]]<ref>"CAUCE is an all volunteer, entirely web-based organization, created by Netizens to advocate for a legislative solution to the problem of UCE (spam). CAUCE began as a discussion group called SPAM-LAW, formed of members who felt that legislation was necessary to stop spam from choking the life out of the Internet. In 1997 CAUCE proposed an amendment to the Federal statute which outlaws junk "faxes" (47 USC 227) to also prohibit junk e-mail, and since then has remained a pre-eminent voice in the anti-spam community. Email: comments@cauce.org. President: Edward Cherlin."</ref>
* http://www.nocards.org - [[Coalition Against Unsolicited Commercial Email]]<ref>"CAUCE is an all volunteer, entirely web-based organization, created by Netizens to advocate for a legislative solution to the problem of UCE (spam). CAUCE began as a discussion group called SPAM-LAW, formed of members who felt that legislation was necessary to stop spam from choking the life out of the Internet. In 1997 CAUCE proposed an amendment to the Federal statute which outlaws junk "faxes" (47 USC 227) to also prohibit junk e-mail, and since then has remained a pre-eminent voice in the anti-spam community. Email: comments@cauce.org. President: Edward Cherlin."</ref>
=See Also==
* [[Ubuntu]]
* [[Apple Computer]] [[MacOS]] for [[Apple Macintosh]]
* [[Mobile device]]s: [[Smartphones]] and [[tablet computer|tablets]]
* [[Apple Computer|Apple]] [[iOS]] for [[iPhone]]-[[iPod]]-[[iPad]]
* [[Android (operating system)|Android]]
* [[BlackBerry OS|Blackberry]]
* [[Microsoft]] [[Windows Phone]] with [[Windows 8]]
==External links==
* http://www.gnu.org/gnu/why-gnu-linux.en.html
==References==
{{reflist|2}}
[[Category:Linux]]
[[Category:Mobile Operating Systems]]
[[Category:Operating System]]
[[Category:Apps]]
[[Category:Technology]]
[[Category:Internet]]
[[Category:Information technology]]
[[Category:Computers]]
==References==
==References==
{{reflist|2}}
{{reflist|2}}