Getting stuck on FLOSS
What’s in a name? A lot, apparently, as people have been arguing for years over just what they mean by free and open source software. Granted, if you’re expecting “free” to refer to a matter of price (or lack thereof), you may be sorely disappointed. That category of programs is known as “freeware.” “Free software” instead refers to a more intangible freedomthe Declaration of Independence kind. Confused yet?Specifically, “free software” allows users to modify or distribute the copyrighted software without punishment, just as they did during the less-rigorous beginnings of the computer industry (the 1950s-1970s). “Free software” is often found in conjunction with “open source” software, leading to the acronyms FOSS (free and open source software) and FLOSS (free/libre/open source software). “Open source” means that the source code is available to users. Occasionally, open source software is available “free of charge” in the public domain.The opportunities for user interaction that come with FLOSS make it an ideal subject for user groups around the world. These may be dedicated to free and open source software in general, or to specific types. For example, one of the earliest uses of the acronym F/OSS was on a Usenet newsgroup (a sort of online user group) for Amiga computer games. Linux user groups are also an example of a FLOSS user group, as all of the Linux source code can be used, modified, and redistributed for either commercial or non-commercial purposes under a GNU General Public License.Web-related free software has seen a boom in recent decades. For example, the Apache HTTP Server is the most popular HTTP server in uses, serving over 59 of all websites and 66 of the million busiest. Open Web Analytics is an open-source framework written in PHP that allows developers to add web analytics to their sites. The framework contains built-in support for other applications like WordPress, MediaWiki, and Gallery 2. The catchily-named curl-loader is an open-source performance testing tool written in C, capable of simulating the behavior of HTTP/HTTPS and FTP/FTPS clients en masse. The first stable release dates from June 13, 2010.The point is, don’t get caught up in a naming when there are so many wonderful programs out there to explore. Just type in “free software” to your favorite search engine and see what comes up.