Why Linux called opensource ?
 

hi,

Why is Linux called opensource ?

it is said that Linux is free . here free means ? pls make it clear to me.

thanks..

the source is open. you can read it, you can change it. open.

just want to add few lines in order to make him understand better.

hi tofee,
linux is open source
can you ever see the source code of any of the windows softwares or windows operating system ???
never.
But in case of linux, u can see the code of operating system as well as various softwares (better to say freewares) and if you have skills then you can change them according to your need.

linux is free
b'coz you don't have to pay for it. Just download the .iso files from the internet, burn and play with them. Its not like many other o/s for which you have to pay a big amount.

welcome for any further queries.

regards

hi ruudra,

thanx a lot for making me understand it clearly .

In the scope of open source, Linux is free(DOM), that is you are free to play around and tweak and do whatever you want, because you can look at the source code for things, see how they work, compile with particular requirements etc. In many cases (but certainly not all) it is also free as in no cost (or free as in beer as it's often referred to).

There are many advantages and disadvantages to opensource on software, but i will not even pretend to have enough of a clue to guide someone else, google is your best bet.

it is free as in free beer, but it is also free as in free speech because no one is controlling it. It can be changed ans used by anybody for any purpose. You are free to distribute it as well.

hi ruudra,

i have one more query. can u pls tell me what is the difference between Redhat Linux and Redhat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) ... actually i want to know why the term " Enterprise" is used here ?

thanks..

me too looking towards my friends on this forum for its answer :D

I guess it is packaged for the entreprise (no tux racer but SELinux instead for instance).

There is no more RedHat Linux. A few years ago RedHat decided to split into a paid RedHat Enterprise Linux and a free community-supported Fedora Core.

Enterprise is just an arbitrary term that some companies use to call a distribution which is targeted toward the commercial market. They include RedHat Enterprise Linux, Suse Linux Enterprise Server, etc. They are supposed to be very stable (i.e. older software that has been tested for a long time), and (at least in the case of RHEL) offers a long period of good support and is sold for money.

Hi spooon,

many many thanks for your response. the thing is now fully clear to me.