Week 1 Lesson 2v1: Notes on Free Software Development (1992-1998)

Time Frame: Focuses on the evolution from 1992 to 1998 regarding Unix users, licensing, and application development.

GNU Project: By 1992, GNU software was widely used, facilitated by the portability of C programming.
Missing Kernel: GNU had all components of an OS but lacked a vital kernel.

Home Computers: The 90s marked a transition to common household computers (e.g. Dell, Packard Bell, Intel-based PCs, Macintosh).
Introduction of the Internet: Early internet access via dial-up services (e.g. AOL) allowed connection to other computers.
Microsoft Windows Dominance: Dominant operating systems emerged like Windows 3.1, Windows 95, and Windows XP.

AT&T Lawsuits: AT&T initiated legal action against Berkeley Unix, freezing its development, which had begun in 1975.
Berkeley Distribution: Development stopped in 1991 amidst legal fears until it resumed in 1994 after being found not guilty.

Background: Linus Torvalds was a graduate student at the University of Helsinki, initially using Unix systems.
Desire for Unix: He aimed to run Unix at his PC but found no solution, prompting him to create his own operating system kernel.
First Release: Linux kernel version 0.1 was released in August 1991; within six months, version 0.12 was publicly available and improved by numerous developers.
GNU Public License (GPL): The Linux kernel was released under GPL v2, allowing users to modify and share it freely.

Combining Forces: Linus incorporated GNU tools with his kernel, leading to the creation of the first Linux-based operating systems.
Design Philosophy: Linux followed a similar philosophy to Unix, focusing on community contributions. Both Unix and Linux began as personal projects and evolved with community assistance.

Berkeley Unix Status: After the lawsuit, BSD was named without the term “Unix” and spawned distributions like FreeBSD, OpenBSD, and NetBSD.
BSD License: Preceded the free software movement, BSD systems do not generally use GNU tools since they were developed earlier.
Applications on BSD: Major applications like WhatsApp and Netflix operate on FreeBSD.

Development Dominance: While BSD was legally constrained, Linux grew rapidly between 1992 and 1999, protected under GPL, which mandated openness and community sharing.
Community Effort: The collaborative nature prevented any single company from monopolizing Linux.
Formation of a Foundation: A 501(c)(6) organization was established to manage Linux kernel code.

Enterprise Interest: With stabilizing code, enterprises began to adopt Linux for their computing needs.
Splinter Movement: By 1998, this led to the emergence of the Open Source Initiative, branching from the Free Software Foundation, reflecting growing business propositions in software.