Tools for Information Literacy
Open-source computing
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
Why is a little bit of Linux knowledge important?
It's not much of an exaggeration to say that the whole world is built on top of the Linux kernel— although most people have never heard of it.
It is one of the very first programs that load when most computers power up. It enables the hardware running the machine to interact with the software, governs its use of resources, and acts as the foundation of the operating system.
It is the core building block of nearly all cloud computing, virtually every supercomputer, the entire internet of things, billions of smartphones, and more. But the kernel is also open source, meaning anyone can write, read, and use its code.
And that's got cybersecurity experts inside the US military seriously worried. Its open-source nature means the Linux kernel— along with a host of other pieces of critical open-source software— is exposed to hostile manipulation in ways that we still barely understand.
MIT Technology Review 14 July 2022
What is "Open Source", the software and the movement?
What is Linux? and why is it so popular?
- According to Red Hat: things are better with Open Source
- Linux tutorials
However, when you hear that Linux is "free", consider the cost of your time.
Linux is not always perfect.
back to top
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
back to top
Other thoughts on Open Source
The Cathedral and the Bazaar by Eric S. Raymond in
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.
back to top
If open source or Linux appeals to you ...
... take a look at this Linux tutorial and see if it makes you "an expert in 10 lessons".
But be aware ...
