Tag: linux

LINUX

After it’s first launch , thousands of programmers and users got attracted towards LINUX . Today we can say that Linux is the first choice of millions of people all over the globe . It is different from other operating systems as it comes with a host of positive developments . This is because of what LINUX offers to users and programmers , such as scalability , security , consistency , user friendliness , freedom and non pirated enterprise software . Many of the advantages of Linux are an aftermath of its origins , deeply rooted in UNIX .

Linux is Free : Linux is a freely distributable operating system . The first thought that comes to mind is what does free means . When we say Linux is free that does not mean it is always free of cost . Here , free implies the freedom to work . You can download the Linux for free from Internet , without registration and without going into per user per year kind of licensing . You are free to use , free to customize , free to modify , free to distribute and also free to brand your modified variant . Modification is possible because its source code is freely available . This makes the Linux free . It has already been explained that no licensing is required for Linux . Again , this does not mean that there is no license . Like any other software Linux also has a license . Linux comes with GNU Public License (GPL) . The license states that anybody who may want to use and apply Linux can do so . Anybody has the right to change Linux and eventually redistribute a changed version , on the condition that he makes available the code after redistribution . In other words we can say that you are always free to grab a kernel image , for any of your functionality as long as your client can still have a copy of that code .

Linux is Hardware Independent : Linux is compatible with nearly all available hardware . As mentioned in the previous section , its source code is freely downloadable and that also comes with the GPL license , you are free to follow the documentation available and customize so as to work with your unsupported hardware . This makes the Linux hardware independent .

Linux is Secure : Linux has proven , beyond doubt , the sound security level it offers . This security aspect is the key feature of Linux and its security model is entirely based on UNIX , which we all know is very robust and of proven quality . In Linux , security is not only restricted to the security from internet threats but it is also very much secure from other system related breaches or malpractices . Linux offers security at all levels , such as User level , Application level , System level , Device level , Inner threats , External threats .

Linux is Scalable : When Linux was in the gestation process , its creators wanted to make an operating system that was extensively suitable for any application , any hardware , and any process . They wanted it to work with computers with high power and capacities like of super computers , mainframes , and with computer for personal use like PCs , laptops and even with computers of limited resources like Palmtop , PDAs , etc., so that Linux fits everywhere .

Audacity and controversy after its new privacy policy

Audacity is free and open-source software that is available for Linux, Windows, macOS, and other UNIX operating systems. The project was started by Dominic Mazzoni and Roger Dannenberg in the fall of 1999 at Carnegie Mellon University, Pennsylvania. The software was officially released on May 28, 2000. It is a digital audio and recording application. It is one of the most popular free and open-source software with over 100 million downloads.

In July 2021, the software was acquired by the Muse Group. The acquisition has brought several changes in the privacy policy of the software. Audacity is very popular software in the audio editing space and is being used by beginner podcasters and musicians to professionals.  The recent changes in the privacy policy under the new ownership have led to accusations that it is spyware now. The new policy states that alongside collecting user data for “app analytics” and “improving our app”, which is not unusual. But further in the policy statement, it’s mentioned that the data collected will also be used for “Legal enforcement”.

The policy is a little unclear and it states:

“It may share personal data with “any competent law enforcement body, regulatory, the government agency, court, or other third parties where we believe disclosure is necessary.”

https://www.audacityteam.org/about/desktop-privacy-notice/

The language used quite vague but roughly it can be interpreted that Audacity will share data if requested by the law enforcement or court order. But they can also transfer more data if there is a potential buyer or merger in the future.

Another concerning change is the banning of under 13 years old users which was not a case earlier. This also violates the license under which the software is currently distributed.

It has been a concern for many users of the program. But this also raises a bigger question about data collection. This also hints at the intention of the purchase. The software already has a user base of millions and the potential of data collection is rather high. The policy to further distribute the data to third parties is a decision that is being bet with the most criticism. Another thing to understand is that Audacity is a small lightweight piece of open-source standalone software. But with this new policy, the software might no longer remain offline software. But these are still speculations.

Some years back similar instance occurred when Oracle Corporation had acquired a very popular office suite: Open Office. As users and contributors were not happy with the changes under the new ownership of Open Office, a new fork of Open Office was created. Contribution for this new Open Office alternative, Libre Office had increased in a very short period of time and it emerged as a viable successor of Open Office. Soon Libre Office also replaced Open Office in most of the future Linux distributions. There is already a new fork of Audacity and it is being actively worked on.

But we can also interpret it as a case of incorrectly drafted writing. There can be a possibility that the language used in the new policy changes was understood differently and things got overblown.

References:

Flavors of Unix

Unix is not a single operating system. It is in fact a general name given to dozens of o.s. by different companies, organizations or groups of individuals. These variants of unix are referred to as flavors. Although based on the same core set of unix commands, different flavors can have their own unique commands and features, and are designed to work with different types of h/w. Linux is often considered a unix flavor.

Among the ways in which the various flavors of UNIX differ are (1) fundamental design, (2) commands and features, (3) the hardware platform(s) (i.e., processors) for which they are intended and (4) whether they are proprietary software (i.e., commercial software) or free software (i.e., software that anyone can obtain at no cost and use for any desired
purpose).

Linux :
The most popular and fastest growing of all the Unix-like operating systems. It is developed by Linus Torvalds, Linux is a product that mimics the form and function of a UNIX system, but is not derived from licensed source code. Rather, it was developed independently; by a group of developers in an informal alliance on the net. A major benefit is that the source code is freely available (under the GNU copyleft), enabling the technically astute to alter and amend the system; it also means that there are many, freely available, utilities and specialist drivers available on the net. Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds. Recent versions of Glibc include much functionality from the Single UNIX Specification, Version 2 (for UNIX 98) and later.

FreeBSD :
The most popular of the BSD systems (all of which are direct descendants of BSD UNIX, which was developed at the University of California at Berkeley). BSDI is an independent company that markets products derived from the Berkeley Systems Distribution (BSD), developed at the University of California at Berkeley in the 60’s and 70’s. It is the operating
system of choice for many Internet service providers. It is, as with Linux, not a registered. UNIX system, though in this case there is a common code heritage if one looks far enough back in history.

IBM :
IBM has been quietly working on its mainframe operating system (formerly MVS) to add open interfaces for some years. In September 1996, The Open Group announced that OS/390 had been awarded the X/Open UNIX brand, enabling IBM to identify its premier operating system to be marked UNIX 95. This is a significant event as OS/390 is the first product to guarantee conformance to the Single UNIX Specification, and therefore to carry the label UNIX 95, that is not derived from the AT&T/ SCO source code.

NetBSD :
NetBSD is a free, fast, secure, and highly portable Unix-like Open Source operating system. It is available for a wide range of platforms, from large-scale servers and powerful desktop systems to handheld and embedded devices. Features the ability to run on more than 50 platforms, ranging from acorn26 to x68k

OpenBSD :
The OpenBSD project produces a FREE, multi-platform 4.4BSD-based UNIX-like operating system. Our efforts emphasize portability, standardization, correctness, proactive security and integrated cryptography. As an example of the effect
OpenBSD has, the popular OpenSSH software comes from OpenBSD. It May have already attained its goal of becoming the most secure of all computer operating systems.

Darwin :
Darwin is an open-source Unix-like operating system first released by Apple Inc. in 2000. It is composed of code developed by Apple, as well as code derived from NeXTSTEP, BSD, Mach, and other free software projects The new version of BSD that serves as the core for the Mac OS X

Many of the proprietary flavors have been designed to run only (or mainly) on proprietary hardware sold by the same company that has developed them. Examples include:

  • AIX – developed by IBM for use on its mainframe computers
  • BSD/OS – a commercial version of BSD developed by Wind River for Intel processors
  • HP-UX – developed by Hewlett-Packard for its HP 9000 series of business servers
  • IRIX – developed by SGI for applications that use 3-D visualization and virtual reality
  • QNX – a real time operating system developed by QNX Software Systems primarily for use in embedded systems
  • Solaris – developed by Sun Microsystems for the SPARC platform and the most widely used proprietary flavor for web servers
  • Tru64 – developed by Compaq for the Alpha processor