Linus Torvalds
Linux Operating System
Linux is a free open-source operating system based on Unix. Linux
was originally created by Linus Torvalds with the assistance of
developers from around the globe. Linux is free to download, edit and
distribute. Linux is a very powerful operating system and it is gradually
becoming popular throughout the world.

Compatibility:
It runs all common Unix software packages and can
process all common file formats.

Better use of hard disk:
Linux uses its resources well enough even when the hard
disk is almost full.

Multitasking:
Linux is a multitasking operating system. It can handle
many things at the same time.

Security:
Linux is one of the most secure operating systems. File
ownership and permissions make Linux more secure.

Open source:
Linux is an Open source operating systems. You can
easily get the source code for Linux and edit it to develop
your personal operating system.

Today, Linux is widely used for both basic home and office
uses. It is the main operating system used for high
performance business and in web servers. Linux has made
a high impact in this world.

There is a large number of Linux distributions which gives
you a wider choice. Each organization develop and support
different distribution. You can pick the one you like best; the
core function's are the same.

Fast and easy installation:
Linux distributions come with user-friendly installation.

Better use of hard disk:
Linux uses its resources well enough even when
the hard disk is almost full.

Multitasking:
Linux is a multitasking operating system. It can
handle many things at the same time.

Security:
Linux is one of the most secure operating
systems. File ownership and permissions make
Linux more secure.

Open source:
Linux is an Open source operating systems. You can easily
get the source code for Linux and edit it to develop your
personal operating system.

Today, Linux is widely used for both basic home and office
uses. It is the main operating system used for high
performance business and in web servers. Linux has made
a high impact in this world.
Advantages of Linux

Low cost:
There is no need to spend time and huge amount money to
obtain licenses since Linux and much of it’s software come with
the GNU General Public License. There is no need to worry about
any software's that you use in Linux.

Stability:
Linux has high stability compared with other operating systems.
There is no need to reboot the Linux system to maintain
performance levels. Rarely it freeze up or slow down. It has a
continuous up-times of hundreds of days or more.

Performance:
Linux provides high performance on various networks. It has the
ability to handle large numbers of users simultaneously.

Networking:
Linux provides a strong support for network functionality;
client and server systems can be easily set up on any
computer running Linux. It can perform tasks like network
backup more faster than other operating systems.

Flexibility:
Linux is very flexible. Linux can be used for high
performance server applications, desktop applications,
and embedded systems. You can install only the needed
components for a particular use. You can also restrict the
use of specific computers.

Persistence - keep track of the last set(s) of search
results, and provide easy access to them

Power - use multiple categories and search
engines together at the same time, and correlate
the search results in meaningful ways.

Usefulness - provide filtering so that bad/nonuseful search results can be removed

Ease of use - beginning/intermediate users should
be able to merely type in some text and begin
searching for results

Extensibility - as no one search engine can satisfy
every user, choice of search engines is important

flexibility - as users searching habits advance, so
should the abilities of the browser enable more
options

Open-source software (OSS) is computer software that
is available in source code form for which the source
code and certain other rights normally reserved for
copyright holders are provided under a software license
that permits users to study, change, and improve the
software.

Open source licenses meet the requirements of the
Open Source Definition. Some open source software is
available within the public domain. Open source software
is very often developed in a public, collaborative manner.

Open-source software is the most prominent example of
open-source development and often compared to
(technically defined) user-generated content or (legally
defined) open content movements.

The term open-source software originated as part of a
marketing campaign for free software.

A report by Standish Group states that adoption of opensource software models has resulted in savings of about
$60 billion per year to consumers.

Free and open source software (F/OSS, FOSS) or
free/libre/open source software (FLOSS) is software that is
liberally licensed to grant the right of users to use, study,
change, and improve its design through the availability of its
source code. This approach has gained both momentum
and acceptance as the potential benefits have been
increasingly recognized by both individuals and corporate
players.

In the context of free and open source software, free
refers to the freedom to copy and re-use the software,
rather than to the price of the software.

The Free Software Foundation, an organization that
advocates the free software model, suggests that, to
understand the concept, one should "think of free as in
free speech, not as in free beer".

Free and open source software is an inclusive term
which covers both free software and open source
software which, despite describing similar development
models, have differing cultures and philosophies.

Free software focuses on the philosophical freedoms it gives
to users while open source focuses on the perceived
strengths of its peer-to-peer development model. FOSS is a
term that can be used without particular bias towards either
political approach.

Free software licenses and open source licenses are used by
many software packages. While the licenses themselves are
in most cases the same, the two terms grew out of different
philosophies and are often used to signify different
distribution methodologies.
Difference between Free Software
and Open source software

The main difference is that by choosing one term over the
other (i.e. either "open source" or "free software") you let
others know about what your goals are.

As Richard M. Stallman puts it, "Open source is a
development methodology; free software is a social
movement."

Critics have said that the term “open source” fosters an
ambiguity of a different kind such that it confuses the mere
availability of the source with the freedom to use, modify, and
redistribute it. Developers have used the alternative terms
Free/open source Software (FOSS), or Free/Libre/open
source Software (FLOSS), consequently, to describe open
source software which is also free software.

The term “open source” was originally intended to be
trademarkeable; however, the term was deemed too
descriptive, so no trademark exists. The OSI would prefer
that people treat Open Source as if it were a trademark, and
use it only to describe software licensed under an OSI
approved license.

OSI Certified is a trademark licensed only to people who are
distributing software licensed under a license listed on the
Open Source Initiative's list.

Open source software and free software are different terms
for software which comes with certain rights, or freedoms, for
the user. They describe two approaches and philosophies
towards free software. Open source and free software (or
software libre) both describe software which is free from
onerous licensing restrictions. It may be used, copied,
studied, modified and redistributed without restriction. Free
software is not the same as freeware, software available at
zero price.

The definition of open source software was written to be
almost identical to the free software definition. There are
very few cases of software that is free software but is not
open source software, and vice versa.

The difference in the terms is where they place the
emphasis. “Free software” is defined in terms of giving
the user freedom. This reflects the goal of the free
software movement.

“Open source” highlights that the source code is
viewable to all and proponents of the term usually
emphasize the quality of the software and how this is
caused by the development models which are possible
and popular among free and open source software
projects.

Free software licenses are not written exclusively by
the FSF. The FSF and the OSI both list licenses which
meet their respective definitions of free software.

The FSF believes that knowledge of the concept of
freedom is an essential requirement, insists on the use
of the term free, and separates itself from the open
source movement
The Open Source Initiative (OSI) is an organization
dedicated to promoting open source software.
It was prompted by Netscape Communications
Corporation publishing the source code for its flagship
Netscape Communicator product.
The organization was founded in February 1998, by Bruce
Perens and Eric S. Raymond,
 Bruce Perens
Eric S Raymond 
The early period of the open-source movement coincided with and partly
drove the dot-com boom of 1998─2000, and saw a large growth in the
popularity of Linux and the formation of many open-source-friendly
companies.
 The movement also caught the attention of the mainstream software
industry, leading to open-source software offerings by established software
companies such as Corel (Corel Linux), Sun Microsystems
(OpenOffice.org), and IBM (OpenAFS).
 By the time the dot-com boom busted in 2001, many of the early hopes
of open-source advocates had already borne fruit, and the movement
continued from strength to strength in the cost-cutting climate of the
2001─2003 recession.
Founded and headed by Tim Berners-Lee, the consortium
is made up of member organizations which maintain fulltime staff for the purpose of working together in the
development of standards for the World Wide Web.
The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) was founded by
Tim Berners-Lee after he left the European Organization for
Nuclear Research (CERN) in October, 1994
The Consortium is governed by its membership, which in
August 2009 comprised 355 organizations. The list of
members is available to the public. Members include
businesses, nonprofit organizations, universities,
governmental entities, and individuals.
Tim Berners Lee
Proprietary software is computer software licensed under exclusive legal
right of its owner. The purchaser, or licensee, is given the right to use the
software under certain conditions, but restricted from other uses, such as
modification, further distribution, or reverse engineering.
Closed-source software, or software distributed without its source code, is
proprietary.
The owner of proprietary software exercises certain exclusive rights over
the software. Commonly, the owner restricts use, inspection of source code,
modification of source code, and redistribution.
Vendors typically limit the number of computers on which software can be used,
and prohibit the user from installing the software on additional computers.
For example, restricted use is sometimes enforced through a technical measure,
such as product activation, a product key or serial number, a hardware key, or
copy protection.
Vendors may also distribute versions that remove particular features, or versions
which allow only certain fields of endeavor, such as non-commercial, educational,
or non-profit use.
Examples:Windows Vista Starter is restricted to running a maximum of three
concurrent applications.
The retail edition of Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007 is limited to
non-commercial use on up three devices in one household.
Windows XP can be installed on one computer, and limits the number of
network file sharing connections to 10. The Home Edition disables features
present in Windows XP Professional.