A Wiki with far more information is available here:
http://garfunkel.freehostia.com/wiki
(1) What is free software?
Free software is created when one develops software that can be freely edited by any individual of society by implementing a license which allows freedom and peer-development practices. When a free software advocate/developer mentions free software he/she does not mean the amount of money paid for software, i.e.; being free as in beer. Instead, free software is considered free only when it is free as in speech.
Thousands of free software applications have been developed, almost any application that is not free has a free alternative that is waiting to be used. Many consumers and users have now switched to free software as a way of life and this in tern encourages more developers to create better, higher quality applications that meet the needs of society. Because of the free software movement, many important free software projects have been created that have defined how we run our businesses, our jobs, our entertainment and ultimately; our lives.
Free software is also called open source software because the source code (what programmers write) is open to anybody willing to go through it.
(2) What is the free software movement?
The free software movement describes a time when an increasing amount of software developers choose to adopt free software traditions. The main aim of the free software movement was to free customers and users of computer systems who have been bound by very restrictive licenses which do not allow for a completely democratic society, hence free as in freedom. This movement was started in 1983 when plans were announced by Richard M. Stallman to create the GNU project.
(3) What is Linux?
Linux (pronounced Lee-nucks is an open source kernel for an operating system. A kernel is the single most important piece of software that makes up an operating system. It defines the basic input/output processes of a computer system, is the lowest level of software and without this important peace of software in an operating system, you may not be reading this.
It is a common misconception that Linux is an operating system, it is not. Usually Linux is combined with a set of GNU tools and libraries to make a fully functional operating system (called a distro or distribution).
Linux is extremely powerful and very scalable, it is capable of running pocket calculators all the way up to the worlds most powerful supercomputers with thousands of processors. Linux was developed by Linus Torvalds who has been assisted by thousands of volunteers around the world to create a free implementation of UNIX. Linux is freely distributed under the GPL.
Although Linux is not by itself an operating system it is still considered correct to call it as such because it is a general term.
(4) What is GNU?
GNU (which stands for Gnu's Not Unix), (pronounced Gaa-new), is used in relation to a set of software applications and tools written by the FSF (Free Software Foundation) to provide a free framework of UNIX. The GNU project was written by Richard M. Stallman (RMS) and is supported via peer edited and improved code. This is a tradition of free software and GNU is one of the strongest examples of this tradition. By 1991 the only piece of software needed to transform the GNU project into a full operating system was the kernel, luckily there was Linux.
(5) What is UNIX?
UNIX (pronounced You-nicks is a computer operating system which was originally developed by researchers Dennis Ritchie and Ken Thompson from the AT&T Bell Labs in 1969. UNIX was the first operating system to be written in the "C" programming language. One of the greatest features of UNIX during the time was it's ability to support more than one user at a time (at first, two). UNIX was very important for the development of the Internet and has TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) built into the system which made what we do today, browse the Internet, possible.
UNIX today supports many processor architectures and is very popular on servers and workstations due to it's efficiency, stability, security and power.
(6) What is the GPL?
The GPL (General Public License), was developed by the FSF and gives users the permission to copy, modify and redistribute source code and applications developed by others that have chosen to license their product under the GPL. However, restrictions still apply, for example; if you modify the contents of a developers' source code you must make your changes available to the community and the altered source code must be under the GPL as well.
(7) What is the FSF?
The FSF (Free Software Foundation) is an organization founded in 1985 by Richard M. Stallman (RMS) and operates as non-profit. The FSF was created to support the efforts of open source developers and the free software movement, this is to ensure that software can continue to be freely available to all those who desire it. The FSF's biggest contribution has been GNU, which has led to countless innovations and other developments in software.
(8) So... OK, what is a distro?
A distro is short for distribution, a distribution is an operating system which consists of the Linux kernel and GNU tools. There are hundreds of distros available. These distros provide an incredible, (but sometimes daunting) choice. Many distros are focused for different markets, for example; DSL (Damn Small Linux) is targeted towards people who like ultra-minimalism, while Debian Linux aims at server markets and power users.
All Linux distros come with a large assortment of applications, most of which you'll find are open source. Any task you can do on another operating system (such as Windows) can also be completed on a Linux distro. For example; here is a quick list of software comparatives between Windows and Linux:
Windows ........................ | ........... Linux
Photoshop ...................... GIMP/GIMPShop
WinAmp/QMP ................. XMMS/Xine
Windows Media Player ... Kaffeine/MPlayer/KMPlayer/Amarok
Windows Media Center .. MythTV
MSN Messenger ............. Xchat
µTorrent ......................... Ktorrent
...and there are much, much more.
Currently, PS3's Cell processor can support any Linux distro designed for the PowerPC architecture, this is because the Cell contains a PowerPC based processing element called a PPE (Power Processing Element). However performance is not optimal as Cell also contains many SPE's (Synergistic Processing Elements). These SPE's are similar to extra cores on a microprocessor (the PPE's slaves), allowing very fast calculations to be performed. If you use a Linux distro made for the PowerPC architecture it will run, but won't make use of the SPE's.
To make use of these SPE's, you will need a Linux distro designed explicitly for the Cell. The first to be released on a consumer level is Yellow Dog Linux (YDL). YDL makes use of these SPE's and as such has very good performance. More developments are being made so expect many more native Cell distros as time goes on.
(9) But I use Windows, isn't that better? Can't I run it on PS3? Doesn't it have better support?
Windows is not better then Linux, it can be considered quite the opposite, it is a matter of personal opinion but many who believe Linux is worse are people who try a Linux distro for a few hours and give up! To become familiar with Linux you must persevere it is not difficult, just have a little patience and an open mind and you will be fine. Once you have your distro set up the way you like it you should expect ultra high stability and reliability, this is why many businesses and experts choose to use Linux over Windows. Many users use Linux around the world and it is gaining rapidly in popularity (especially in the last four years), in fact many use Linux on a daily basis but do not notice it can be very user friendly.
You will not be able to run Windows on the PS3, this is because of many reasons:
*Microsoft (developers of Windows), are in competition with Sony Computer Entertainment (makers of the PlayStation 3), therefore it is not desirable for them to release Windows for the PS3.
*It would take Microsoft a long time to configure, recompile and market Windows for the PowerPC or Cell architectures. *Windows runs on a platform known as x86 which is very different to PowerPC/Cell. As such this would cause a major development shift and cost a lot of money.
*Microsoft is mostly against free software, the PlayStation is mostly an open platform.
*There would be limited gains to make.
Although Windows will certainly not be coming to the PS3, there is a chance that Mac OS (from Apple) will. This is because Apple already supports the PowerPC architecture and is looking to advance it's market share of the operating system market. You never know.
Lastly, Windows does have greater support from commercial companies, especially for games, but in actual fact, since 2006 it is widely believed that Linux developers outnumber all Windows developers. Many corporate software companies are now swaying towards Linux and so the commercial support for Linux will benefit in the long run.
Please PM me any suggestion, ideas and corrections.
