what you want it to do. Linux runs on everything from supercomputers to cell phones
and everything in between. Many countries are rediscovering their freedom of choice and
making the switch at government and educational levels. France, Germany, Korea, and
India are just a few that have taken notice of Linux. The list continues to grow.
There are some aspects of Linux that make it hard for some new users to get started. One is that
Linux is typically set up to be secure by default, so you need to adjust to using an administrative
login (root) to make most changes that affect the whole computer system. Although this can be a
bit inconvenient, trust me, it makes your computer safer than just letting anyone do anything. This
model was built around a true multiuser system. You can set up logins for everyone who uses your
Linux computer, and you (and others) can customize your environment however you see fit with-
out affecting anyone else's settings.
For the same reason, many services are off by default, so you need to turn them on and do at least
minimal configuration to get them going. For someone who is used to Windows, Linux can be dif-
ficult just because it is different from Windows. But because you're reading this book, I assume you
want to learn about those differences.
OSI Open Source Definition
For software developers, Linux provides a platform that lets them change the operating system as
they like and get a wide range of help creating the applications they need. One of the watchdogs of
the open source movement is the Open Source Initiative (
www·opensource·org
). This is how the
OSI Web site describes open source software:
The basic idea behind open source is very simple: When programmers can read, redis-
tribute, and modify the source code for a piece of software, the software evolves. People
improve it, people adapt it, people fix bugs. And this can happen at a speed that, if one
is used to the slow pace of conventional software development, seems astonishing.
We in the open source community have learned that this rapid evolutionary process pro-
duces better software than the traditional closed model, in which only a very few program-
mers can see the source and everybody else must blindly use an opaque block of bits.
While the primary goal of open source software is to make source code available, other goals are
also defined by OSI in its Open Source Definition. Most of the following rules for acceptable open
source licenses are to protect the freedom and integrity of the open source code:
Free distribution -- An open source license can't require a fee from anyone who resells
the software.
Source code -- The source code has to be included with the software and not be
restricted from being redistributed.
Derived works -- The license must allow modification and redistribution of the code
under the same terms.
Integrity of the author's source code -- The license may require that those who use the
source code remove the original project's name or version if they change the source code.
17
Starting with Linux
1
