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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).

Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.

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In a First, AlmaLinux Patches a Security Hole That Remains Unpatched in Upstream RHEL - FOSS Force (fossforce.com)

submitted 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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Photo : AlmaLinux Day, held on March 18, 2024 in Rust, Germany. Does that mean more Rust in the Linux kernel ? :-)

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[–] [email protected] 20 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (1 children)

Projects leaching on the work of companies like that, "freeing the code".

You mean it the other way, right? Because these companies you defend use the free labor of voluntary developers from the community, which spend hours and hours developing features, fixing bugs and what not, directly or indirectly. That's how open source works.

When these companies change the project license to a closed source one, they're basically saying a big "f*** you" to the community. Forking the latest open source version of the repository is nothing more than an effort to keep things the way they were.

huge companies will not pay a cent for Linux in the future

Linux is FOSS, you can do whatever you want with it as long as you redistribute it without modifying the license. Android does that; every GNU/Linux distribution does that. That's how it works.

if a license says "you can use it for free, but need to share profits over x$"

What you're describing is "freeware", what this post is discussing is " open source software". There's a giant gap between the two.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 7 months ago (1 children)

The issue started when Mr. Root Mean Square came up with the term "Free Software". It should have been called "freedom respecting software" and we would not have to deal with people confusing free software with Free Software.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 7 months ago

Yeah, but there's also the term "freeware", which means closed source but free to use.

I'll edit my comment for clarity, thanks for the heads up.