When I just see my TV taking Linux updates it makes me feel so cozy. For context sake I have a veroV running osmc.
this post was submitted on 28 Dec 2024
207 points (98.1% liked)
Linux
48813 readers
585 users here now
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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.
Rules
- Posts must be relevant to operating systems running the Linux kernel. GNU/Linux or otherwise.
- No misinformation
- No NSFW content
- No hate speech, bigotry, etc
Related Communities
Community icon by Alpár-Etele Méder, licensed under CC BY 3.0
founded 5 years ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
FLOSS? FLee and Open Source?
I believe it stands for Free/Libre Open Source Software. I think the idea is to explicitly indicate both free as in beer and free as in speech. However, to me it just sounds like throwing in a romance term for the sake of it. But maybe I'm just ill versed on the whole free/libre divide?
English has one word for libre and gratis. Some people add the "libre" to make it explicit.
Thanks for the explanation. I'll always call it FLOSS from now on.
There's lots of software out there that is available to use without payment, but is still license restricted in such a way that you are not permitted to redistribute, modify, use for commercial purposes, etc. To many, these rights are the far more important facet of "free" software, above what it costs.
But since the English language has the same word for all of these concepts, we have all these yucks running around with zero-cost but right-restricted software wearing the "FOSS" badge thinking they're part of the club. So some people add "Libre" to the acronym to explicitly disambiguate.
As someone else said its free libre open source software. Not my term I just use it because it tends to piss off the least amount of people.
I've read it as Free-Licenced Open Source Software before.
Which doesn't clarify much IMO but it turns the abbreviation into a word!
At that point, just abbreviate it LOSS; Libre Open Source Software.
Free/Libre is a bit redundant, isn't it.