Are you new to the world of Open Source software? Do you wonder how it can and does impact your life, now and in the future? Some fine sources of information can be found here, here, here, here, and here. While not on the level of the prior link, I have tried to lay out why I believe open source software is important here. The philosophy behind the Free Software movement and distinctions between Free Software and Open Source software can be found here and here.
That being said, I'd like to go over some of the Frequently Asked Questions regarding Open Source. Follow below the fold, if you dare.
Q. Why change the title of this series from 'Linux' to 'Open Source'?
A. After having thoroughly exhausted the list (and myself) of Linux distributions (also called distros) over the past 99 days and diaries (one for every day!), I thought to broaden the scope somewhat and look into other interesting developments related to the Open Source movement, and how it affects us all.
Q. Why do you even bother posting here? Shouldn't you take this over to Ubuntuforums? How does this help elect Democrats?
A. Glad to answer that. First of all, this is a community; there are a ton of diaries that are on painting, home and garden repair, current reading, what's for dinner, what people have to teach and learn, reflections on Education, Gender, the economy; all of these serve to educate the community (as I hope my diaries do)--and education is the foundation of having an informed electorate, and an informed electorate will of course elect Democrats. Further, knowing about Open Source software empowers people to be able to use their computers and the internet--the single most democratizing force in the world today--to learn more about the world, the issues of the day--again advantage, Democrats. Finally, Open Source software, and the ideas behind it: transparency, openness, sharing, education, empowering the poor, technological progress, de-fanging huge monopolists (all major Republican donors) and cartels to give citizens and consumers back their rights, protecting the environment, protecting how people communicate, what they can and cannot do with their hardware, software, data, and communications without fear of being spied upon illegally--all these things are core Democratic Party values.
Q. Why are there so many choices in the Open Source world? For example, there must be several hundred Linux distributions alone! Why can't there be just one choice?
A. Good question. If you want one choice, there is that available, right here; to me, and keep in mind that I'm no authority on this, the whole problem with 'one choice' is kind of similar to the 'one ring'--you know the 'one ring to bind them, etc., etc., Mordor..' paradigm--it's anti-democratic. Maybe you want only one choice, but then that means that everyone else gets only one choice, and then we are in the predicament where we are today with a huge convicted monopolist fleecing people by turning out a shoddy product that not only fattens their already gorging wallet, but allows them to spy on you, inject spyware and adware into your 'protected services', peek at your emails, watch what you play, listen to, watch, and exactly how you use your computer, silently (without your knowledge or permission) phoning home and reporting that extensive data-mining to their corporate headquarters, who may or may not turn it over to their advertising buddies so they can target ads more effectively at you, decide for you what you can do with your computer, and the list of egregious abuses longer than the allowed number of words in this diary continue on. The strength of many choices is that there are more minds working on related problems, all coming at them from different angles; there are more specialized distributions aimed at a particular need or market, be it education, medicine, research, activism, content creation and dissemination, language localization, and so forth; more choices means more competition for distributions, and that can only lead to more technological progress and innovation; and finally more choices means more arrows in the quiver to take down International public enemy numero uno.
Q. What's with all this Microsoft bashing? Are you just a mean person?
A. Well, actually that's two questions, but I'll do my best to answer both: Yes, I'm a mean person; always have been, always will be--it must have been the lead paint chips in my baby formula; and second, I'm not 'bashing', but simply laying out the simple truth that Microsoft is a convicted monopolist, and was slated to be broken up for their anti-competitive practices in 2000, but lo and behold, a certain someone was 'elected', and all their worries went away. Just a coincidence that they are huge Republican donors, no doubt.
Q. All this Open Source stuff is so technical. Why can't it be simpler?
A. Well, I have done my best to make it more accessible, through the extensive diaries on what is available as far as Linux distributions for your computer; I have provided tons of links to back up what I have documented--all things I have personally tried out on my computers, both a faster, newer one with a better graphics card and more ram, and a really old and slow junkheap of a clunker with minimal ram, all with one thing in mind--what works best, and how simple it is to setup and use out of the box, while providing the best user experience with the least amount of hassle. There is also a comments section in the diaries for questions, should what I write be not sufficiently clear, and I have tried to shepherd each and every diary through a reasonable amount of time for anyone pausing to stop in who might have questions.
Q. Yeah, but I just want to point and click. I don't want to think about any of that stuff. Is that possible?
A. More than ten months ago, I would have had to answer no; but in the past nine months or so, the absolutely breathtaking advances in Open Source software allows me to answer in the affirmative.
Q. Huh?
A. Yes.
Q. So when you say 'Open Source' software, you really mean Linux, right? This is one of those bait and switch tactics to get me to, er, switch, right?
A. Actually, no. I have largely covered Linux distributions, but there have been bits on FreeBSD based operating systems; there are other systems that are Open Source, such as Solaris and others that I plan to document in future installments. Whether or not you personally switch is not really a main concern--this is simply a means of pointing out to people what is available, what is possible for those with limited technical understanding of the under workings of a computer, and what is feasible for those who are on a limited budget and need something that works, and works well, all with a minimum of hassle, while providing a pleasant experience, maximum security, freedom from snooping, and the freedom to do what you want with your hardware, software, and data, all without some creepy uncle peering over your shoulder watching every step you take. If those are not issues for you, then Open Source truly has nothing to offer.
Q. Well, why do you keep linking to that Bad Vista website? Why not take a few shots at Apple?
A. Vista is bad. Really bad. As in bad, bad news. And as for Apple, well they are nearly Open Source, throwing only as much DRM on things--the minimum possible, and easily removed--as their content partners demand; and starting in October of this year, they will be going fully Unix 03/Posix compliant as the undercarriage to OS X; additionally, through their Darwin Project, and others, they have given a ton back to the Open Source community. They are not the droids you want. Move along.
Q. Isn't Open Source really a danger to us all? I mean, it's Open, so that anyone can just slip in a keylogger or some viruses or spyware, right?
A. Afraid not. All the packages (software) that are from the official repositories (software warehouses) are digitally signed with an encrypted code that makes it well nigh impossible for something like that to happen; in the one in a trillion chance that it did happen, the fact that it is Open Source means that thousands and thousands of eyeballs around the globe would spot it, and announce it to the rest of us before it had a chance to do any damage. Think about it like a voting machine--which do you trust more--the one that is fully open and allowed to be inspected by any and all interested parties, or the one that is locked down with secret code, and out of the hands of anyone except for a few large Republican party donors. You have simply been using Windows too long if you are afraid of spyware.
Q. Isn't the reason Open Source systems are more secure based on the fact that there are less of them? For example, if they were 90% of the installed desktops in the US, wouldn't they be as vulnerable as Windows is now?
A. Ah, yes, the old 'security through obscurity' canard; no way. Windows is a system that is filled with security holes, and don't even get me started on Internet Explorer. Patch Tuesday? Mwahahahahahahaha. Open Source systems are built from the ground up with security as the main goal; Microsoft built their systems to get more speed for gaming, eschewing such quaint things as security.
Q. Well, I was thinking of switching, but your tone just turned me off.
A. I'm sorry about my tone; and getting you to switch was never a goal of writing these diaries. Though BuyBlue would advise you to buy products and services that are more friendly to the Democratic Party, the decision is yours and yours alone. I'm an advocate, but not an evangelist--and you can check this in the past diaries--when people have asked me about how to switch, I have urged caution, especially for those very new to the Open Source community; try a liveCD, try it out in virtualization, see how it suits you, and how well it does for what you need to get done. The goal here is education, not switching. A better informed consumer is one who is best served by having a greater range of options to choose from. That has been, and will remain my goal in writing these diaries. Oh, and it also helps me hone my writing and critical thinking skills, a good way of warding off early-onset Alzheimers disease.
Q. Will using Open Source software lead me towards greater and greater bounds out appalling arrogance?
A. Afraid so. Not only will you start putting pictures of Richard M. Stallman on everything, but you will start using leet-speak, even in formal settings. Your life takes a serious downturn once you start using Open Source software.
Q. What is this virtualization that you speak of? It sounds overly technical.
A. Yes, that is one area that I have yet to explain clearly enough, I fear; simply put: virtualization is ability to run a virtual machine (an operating system, like Windows XP, or Ubuntu) on top of your existing Windows, Mac, or Linux installation (your real computer); if you go to the website here, then choose products, virtualization,vmware-server, you can download the software for free (as of now, soon to be out of beta, and will cost $$)--at the same time you need to get a registration number, and then you can use it. There are other virtualization software applications available, some free, some not--Parallels is commercials (parallels.com), virtualbox is free. If you are a Linux user, then there are a ton of others available, but if you are Linux user, then you probably already know that.
Q. Why are you always going on and on about the MPAA, the RIAA, the telcos (AT&T) and Microsoft? You sound like Alex Jones and the Loose Change/911 crowd. Have you lost it?
A. The cartels you mention are part of the larger problem with copyright laws and software patent laws--while undoubtedly artists must be paid for their work, these cartels really exist for themselves and give almost nothing back to the artists, all the while crying for stricter and stricter legislation against consumers, 'lobbying' congress to pass 'anti-piracy' laws that equate sharing digital content with theft, assault, bank robbery, and so on (indeed, they even claim that those are lesser priorities!); additionally, they push who they think are talented with their multi-million dollar advertising and hype machines, freezing out independent artists, locking down radio stations, demanding royalty payments for every song played on the net--their list of abuses is long indeed. They are the ones behind DRM (Digital Restrictions Management) and Microsoft and AT&T are partnering with them to limit consumers' choices while simultaneously crying foul and 'pirates are costing us billions!!' without a shred of supporting evidence all because they fail to reduce their prices and sell shoddy products, a trait that Microsoft (and AT&T-now with more spying!) share. I haven't lost it yet, but thanks for asking. These diaries help.
Q. What about liveCDs? What's up with that?
A. LiveCDs are simply installer CDs that allow you to try before you buy (i.e., install or not)--you download the ISO file, burn it to a CD-R (a writable CD), then restart your computer with the CD in the CD drive bay--the liveCD allows you to check how well that operating system can recognize your hardware, wireless, etc., all without installing a thing. Don't like it, either in its capabilities, or how it looks and feels? Then just restart your computer, and take out the CD, and your computer is untouched, back in its pristine (?!) Vista state, or whatever.
Q. With all of the Open Source (Linux, FreeBSD, etc.) systems that you have written about, aren't you tapped dry in that department?
A. Ha! You only wish. There are bunch more goodies on the table, so never fear in that department. Though, now that you mention (looking at distro downloads folder) it, I better stock up. Thanks for reminding me!
Q. What about using various proprietary software in Open Source systems? Do they support Program X, for example? And what about Gaming?
A. Well, the one glaring problem with Linux is gaming--this will hopefully be soon ameliorated as Nvidia and ATI open up their drivers--Nvidia is already working with the Open Source community, and ATI has just started; expect big changes in the coming months, as Ubuntu, Dell, Google, and Intel all put more pressure on them to step up. Once that happens, Microsoft is well and truly sunk, and they know it. As for program X, for example, SPSS, a statistical software program, there is an Open Source alternative, or alternately, you could run XP in a virtual environment and use it that way directly--and as for saving files (Word, Excel, and so on) in Microsoft formats--yes, it is easily done, and again, I think as the ODF (Open Document Format) gains more acceptance, it will Microsoft who will be shilling for anyone to use their OOXML proprietary format that is supposedly Open (Ha!). One more point about gaming--Second Life does have a Linux client that works just fine, the only limitation being your CPU speed.
Q. When are you going to get into some more technical aspects of various software programs available in Open Source software? I'd like to know more about program X.
A. Well, to be honest, I'm pretty new to this Open Source movement, and haven't had that much experience with the more technical programs--while I could certainly try, I'm afraid that I would muck things up while doing so, confusing myself as well as the two or three people who stop by to read these diaries. My demands of Open Source software are as follows: able to do some text editing, presentation work, and simple spreadsheets; the ability to view my favorite videos effortlessly; the ability to listen to music in pretty much any format I want (mp3, flac, ape, ogg, etc.); watching Flash sites like Youtube; CD/DVD burning; some simple gaming; and if my computer allows it, some nifty 3D action, as well as surfing the web. Oh, and the expose feature is nice to have, too, though multiple desktops can work in a pinch.
Q. What's the difference between Open Source, Free Software, Proprietary software, and Open Source (but commercial, i.e., not free)?
A. Proprietary software is sometimes referred to as closed source; it simply means that a company has certain software patents on a system or set of functions that it doesn't allow anyone outside of its company's employees (typically only its developers) to see, kind of like the secret recipe to Coca-Cola. Open Source software simply means that all of the source code used to compile the software is freely available for anyone to download and inspect, and depending on the software license attached to it--for example the General Public License--to modify it and share it with everyone (i.e., make it freely available, provided that you in turn show the source code of what you have done and the modifications you have made. This is one of the reasons that the General Public License version three has a specific clause in it to protect against 'Tivoisation', whereby Tivo took GPLv2 software, used it to build their machines, then failed to show what changes they had made. Free Software is about the four freedoms of Richard M. Stallman, more info on this can be seen at the link at the very top of this diary. Open Source (but paid for) software is what Red Hat, IBM and a few others have done, in that they provide software that is Open Source, but provide support for businesses that need it for their mission critical projects--they have done very well financially using this model. All Open Source software has some software license attached to it, be it the GPL, the LGPL, the GPLv2, and so on; the latest version is the GPLv3, a link to which can be found in the blogroll. It's a bit complex to explain in this diary post, so maybe tackling it in a separate diary would work.
Q. Is Open Source software available for proprietary systems, such as Microsoft's Windows, or Apple's Mac OS X?
A. Yes! Many applications are available for both systems, though it remains to be seen if they will ported to Vista--so few people seem to want to use it, that it may prove unnecessary. That being said, Open Source applications in and of themselves do not solve the inherent security problems in, for example, Microsoft Windows, so don't confuse the two.
Q. Is it possible for people who are committed to using Open Source software (and operating systems, for example Linux) to have friendships with people who don't?
A. That is an affirmative. Provided the people who use closed source systems and the people who use Open Source software and systems have open minds; in these very diaries there was a Microsoft shareholder with whom I had a very nice conversation, and he never said that I was 'bashing' Microsoft--they are a big corporation, and a convicted monopolist, so criticism of them is often warranted--that is in no way 'bashing', but simply detailing the truths behind many of their less than ethical business practices, and some of their less than stellar software products; any corporation (or individual) who has clearly demonstrated that they are not responsive to their consumers (or their citizens--see US Government, 2001-2007) are fair game to criticism; when they rectify their behaviour, and act in a competitive manner, then they will be in the clear, and not before.
Q. How to explain Open Source and its importance to people who know little about it?
A. Well, probably the best site I have found is at Make the Move (makethemove.net), which lays out in very clear terms what exactly Open Source software is, and how it can affect you. There are a number of sites that do the same, including the top link on the blogroll to the right.
More questions to be added, either from commentators, or as I think up ones that I have left out. Will update shortly.