FOSS - Free and Open Source Software

What FOSS is

With software, there are two possibilities, either the users control the program or the program controls the users. For the users to control the program, they need four essential freedoms:

The freedom to run the program as they desire for any purpose
The freedom to study the source code of the program and change it so that it does the computing according to the user's needs
The freedom to redistribute exact copies in order to help others and earn a profit for themselves
The freedom to distribute modified versions of the program, so that the community can benefit from improvements made by various users

This is what free software is all about. It is not about the price, instead, it focuses on the freedom of the users (Libre NOT GRATIS!). Free software respects the freedom and community of its users.

Its benefits over proprietary software

Proprietary software has a significant disadvantage in that the absence of certain freedoms can lead to the program having control over the user, rather than the other way around. Furthermore, proprietary software may engage in user tracking and restriction, preventing users from freely performing actions that they would otherwise like to do.

Developers of proprietary software sometimes force users to install harmful upgrades under the threat of losing other software functionalities. Additionally, proprietary software may be forcibly changed through a universal backdoor, and in some cases, developers may even intentionally sabotage the user's system.

Due to the lack of freedom and control for users, proprietary software owners have significant power over their users. This often leads to various methods of profit, exploitation, and manipulation by the software owner.

History of its development

Free and open source software (FOSS) has a rich history, rooted in the early days of computing. In the 1950s and 60s, software was largely distributed as source code, allowing users to modify it to their needs. However, as computing became more commercialized, companies began to tightly control and license their software.

In the 1980s, Richard Stallman, a programmer at MIT, began to advocate for free software, which he defined as software that gives users the freedom to run, copy, distribute, study, change, and improve the software. In 1983, he founded the Free Software Foundation, which developed the GNU operating system and several other essential software programs.

In the 1990s, the concept of open source software began to emerge, spearheaded by the Linux operating system. Linux was developed by Linus Torvalds in 1991, and its source code was made available to the public. This allowed other developers to contribute to its development, resulting in a robust and widely-used operating system.

The open source movement gained momentum in the late 1990s and early 2000s, with the founding of the Open Source Initiative in 1998 and the release of the Mozilla browser in 2002. As more and more software projects were released under open source licenses, the benefits of collaborative development and community-driven innovation became increasingly apparent.

Today, free and open source software is used in a wide variety of applications, from web servers to scientific research to mobile devices. FOSS has become an important component of the digital infrastructure, with many organizations and governments recognizing its value and promoting its use.

Overall, the history of free and open source software is one of a grassroots movement of programmers and enthusiasts working to promote the values of freedom, collaboration, and innovation. While FOSS may not be suitable for every application or organization, its success and impact cannot be denied.

FOSS alternative to common applications

Free and open source software (FOSS) provides alternatives to traditional software applications, offering a cost-effective, secure, and customizable solution to common software needs. LibreOffice, for example, is a free and open source alternative to Microsoft Office, while GIMP offers a powerful image editing software that is a popular FOSS alternative to Adobe Photoshop. Additionally, FOSS web browsers like Firefox and Chromium provide many of the same features as their proprietary counterparts, and Blender provides a powerful and flexible alternative to expensive commercial video editing software. FOSS software is typically free to use, highly customizable, and the open source community behind these applications is continuously working to improve them, fix bugs, and add new features.

It's ties with GNU/Linux

Free and open source software (FOSS) is closely tied to GNU and Linux. The GNU Project, founded by Richard Stallman in 1983, aimed to create a completely free and open source operating system. While the project was successful in creating many key components, they did not have a complete kernel. The Linux kernel, released in 1991 under the GNU GPL, completed the system. Together, GNU and Linux created a widely used, free and open source operating system with an active community. The FOSS principles of freedom and openness have fostered a collaborative and innovative development culture. Despite competition from other operating systems and software models, FOSS, GNU, and Linux continue to play a significant role in the technology industry.