home & schedule | class blog | syllabus | contact | grades

But first, let's consider the entire concept of Open Source, as Open Source software may be encountered both as clients and as the servers that clients connect to.

But first, what is "Open Source", the software & the movement?

What is Linux? and why is it so popular?

• According to Red Hat: things are better with Open Source
• Linux Tutorial
• advice from UNC ITS - UNIX/Linux: Getting Started

However, when you hear that Linux is "free", consider the cost of your time.
Linux is not always perfect.

Linux resources

ibiblio freecode linuxapps slashdot

What does Linux mean to its advocates:

it's yours to build and it's yours to customize.

What can Linux do now?

• CD bootable OS - Knoppix and Ubuntu
• office applications - libre office
• image manipulation - gimp
• web browser - was mozilla, now it's something else
• email client - mulberry

Other thoughts on Open Source

The Cathedral and the Bazaar by Eric S. Raymond in First Monday, March 1998.
Not required, but well worth your time. If you want to read only part of it, read Necessary Preconditions for the Bazaar Style and The Social Context of Open-Source Software.

Not everyone agrees with Raymond, however. You might take a glance at A Second Look at The Cathedral and the Bazaar by Nikolai Bezroukov in First Monday, December 1999. Also not required, but if you are interested in the Open-Source issue, you might want to learn about all sides of the issue.

If open source or Linux appeals to you

Find your way to Manning 213 and introduce yourself to the cast of characters there.

Take a look at this Linux tutorial and see if it makes you "an expert in 10 lessons".

But be aware ...

clients | Open Source | VPN | file transfer | SFTP | GitHub | next session