Free and Open Source Software (FOSS)

First I'd like to quote the Free Software Foundation (FSF):

"As our society grows more dependent on computers, the software we run is of critical importance to securing the future of a free society. Free software is about having control over the technology we use in our homes, schools and businesses, where computers work for our individual and communal benefit, not for proprietary software companies or governments who might seek to restrict and monitor us. The Free Software Foundation exclusively uses free software to perform its work."

This is much more important than you might think. First we'll talk about the open source aspect. When someone writes a computer program, there are two different ways to send it to other people. You can send the source code, which is what the programmer actually wrote and describes exactly what the program is doing. Or you can send the final version, the binary, i.e. the installers and executables that regular people are used to using. If a piece of software is closed source, meaning it makes the binary publicly available but not the source code, then it is incredibly difficult or even impossible to know exactly what it's doing. As an extreme example, it's possible Windows is sending Microsoft your credit card info or passwords without your knowledge. Basically, you just trust that they won't. On the other hand, if a program is open source, then the source code is also publicly available. In this case, anyone can read exactly what the program is doing, and confirm it isn't doing anything nasty. Being open source also allows anyone to find bugs, and arguably increases security in general.

Now let's move from the practical to the ideological: the "Free" aspect. In this case we're talking about "free" as in "free speech." The FSF, other organizations, and many programmers are concerned about government surveillance, restrictions, and corporate influence in those fields. As computers become a literally indispensible part of day to day life, we need to protect everyone's right to use computers and programs in a reasonable way that allows informed choice. This is going to become and increasing problem as surveillance states grow and companies lobby for the restriction of information freedom by the misapplication of copyright law and implementation of internet metering or blocking. For details on these topics visit the FSF or the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF)/.

What is Linux?

Linux is an operating system. Most people are familiar with several operating systems, such as Windows, Mac OS, and Android. They are the foundation on which other computer programs run. Just like Windows or Mac OS, you can install Linux on your computer in order to browse the web, check e-mail, edit documents, etc. I've actually gotten a few of my computer illiterate friends to install and use linux as their main operating system.

The Good

• Free and Open Source
• Doesn't cost anything
• Huge and helpful community
• Faster and more lightweight
• Doesn't get viruses (Windows has millions; Linux has 50)
• Endlessly customizable
• More stable and secure

The Bad

• Many programs don't run on it, notably games (although many work with an emulator)
• Certain aspects are less user-friendly

Getting Linux

Linux is actually a kernel, which is the most basic and low-level part of an operating system. Linux itself doesn't include things like a graphical desktop or a web browser. However, there are many different "distributions" or "flavors" of Linux that include everything you need to get started. Personally I recommend Ubuntu to new users, but you might also have luck with Debian, Linux Mint, and Fedora. Each of those distributions includes Linux, as well as their own user interface and default programs. Search for some screenshots on google if you want to see what they look like.

If you're interested in trying it out, I have two recommendations. First, a great first distribution is Ubuntu. It's been around for a while, and is focused on usability out of the box for new users. My second suggestion is to have a tech-savvy friend who already uses linux do it for you. Having someone with experience on hand to solve unexpected problems is a huge boon if you aren't a computer person yourself. That said, you can also ask questions on forums such as AskUbuntu.