Skip to content
New issue

Have a question about this project? Sign up for a free GitHub account to open an issue and contact its maintainers and the community.

Sign up for GitHub

By clicking “Sign up for GitHub”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy statement. We’ll occasionally send you account related emails.

Already on GitHub? Sign in to your account

Jump to bottom

Create What is FOSS.md #301

Open
wants to merge 1 commit into
base: master
Choose a base branch
from
Open

Create What is FOSS.md #301

Changes from all commits
Commits
Show all changes
1 commit
Select commit
File filter

Filter by extension

Filter by extension
Conversations
Failed to load comments.
Loading
Jump to
Jump to file
Failed to load files.
Loading
Diff view
Diff view
36 changes: 36 additions & 0 deletions guides/FOSS/What is FOSS.md
View file
Open in desktop
Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
@@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
# A Beginner's Guide to FOSS

FOSS stands for "Free and Open-Source Software." It refers to software that is freely available to use, modify, and distribute. Here are some key points to keep in mind when getting started with FOSS:

## What are the benefits of FOSS?
- **Cost:** FOSS is generally free to use and distribute, which can save you money compared to proprietary software.
- **Freedom:** With FOSS, you have the freedom to modify and distribute the software as you see fit.
- **Collaboration:** FOSS is often developed and maintained by a community of volunteers, which allows for collaboration and innovation.

## The Four Freedoms of Free Software

The Free Software Foundation (FSF) first articulated the Four Freedoms of free software in 1985. They are as follows:

1. **The freedom to run the program as you wish, for any purpose.** This means that you can use the software for any purpose, whether it be personal, commercial, or non-commercial.

2. **The freedom to study how the program works, and change it so it does your computing as you wish.** This means that you have the right to access and modify the source code of the software.

3. **The freedom to redistribute copies so you can help others.** This means that you can freely distribute copies of the software to others.

4. **The freedom to distribute copies of your modified versions to others.** This means that you can distribute modified versions of the software to others, as long as you also provide the source code.

It is worth noting that not all software that is free of cost is considered free software. The term free in free software refers to freedom not price.

## How can I find FOSS?
- **Repositories:** Many FOSS projects are hosted on online repositories such as GitHub, GitLab, and SourceForge.
- **Search engines:** You can also search for FOSS using search engines such as Google and Bing.
- **FOSS directories:** There are also directories specifically for FOSS such as the Free Software Directory and OpenSource.com.

## How can I contribute to FOSS?
- **Developing:** If you have programming skills, you can contribute to the development of a FOSS project.
- **Documentation:** You can also contribute by writing documentation or tutorials to help others learn how to use the software.
- **Translation:** Translate FOSS project documentation and interface to make it accessible to more people.
- **Financial support:** You can also support FOSS development by making donations to a project or supporting a FOSS developer.

## Conclusion
FOSS can provide many benefits, including cost savings and the freedom to modify and distribute the software. With a little research, you can find FOSS that meets your needs and, if you're interested, you can also contribute to its development.