Free and Open source software

Open-source software (OSS) is computer software with its source code made available with a license in which the copyright holder provides the rights to study, change, and distribute the software to anyone and for any purpose. Open-source software may be developed in a collaborative public manner. Open-source software is the most prominent example of open- source development and often compared to (technically defined) user-generated content or (legally defined) open-content movements.

“Free software” means software that respects users' freedom and community. Roughly, it means that the users have the freedom to run, copy, distribute, study, change and improve the software. Thus, “free software” is a matter of liberty, not price. To understand the concept, you should think of “free” as in “free speech,” not as in “free beer”. We sometimes call it “libre software” to show we do not mean it is gratis.

A program is free software if the program's users have the four essential freedoms:

• The freedom to run the program as you wish, for any purpose (freedom 0).

• The freedom to study how the program works, and change it so it does your computing as you wish (freedom 1). Access to the source code is a precondition for this.

• The freedom to redistribute copies so you can help your neighbour (freedom 2)

• The freedom to distribute copies of your modified versions to others (freedom 3). 

By doing this you can give the whole community a chance to benefit from your changes. Access to the source code is a precondition for this.

The Free Software Foundation (FSF) is a non-profit organization founded by Richard Stallman on 4 October 1985 to support the free software movement, which promotes the universal freedom to study, distribute, create, and modify computer software, with the organization's preference for software being distributed under copyleft ("share alike") terms, such as with its own GNU General Public License. The FSF was incorporated in Massachusetts, USA, where it is also based.

Open source software projects are built and maintained by a network of volunteer programmers. Prime examples of open-source products are the Apache HTTP Server, the e-commerce platform osCommerce, internet browsers Mozilla Firefox and Chromium (the project where the vast majority of development of the freeware Google Chrome is done) and the full office suite LibreOffice. One of the most successful open-source products is the GNU/Linux operating system, an open-source Unix-like operating system, and its derivative Android, an operating system for mobile devices. In some fields, open source software is the norm, as in voice over IP applications with Asterisk (PBX).

GNU/Linux

GNU is an extensive collection of computer software that can be used to build a Unix- like operating system. GNU is composed wholly of free software.

GNU is a recursive acronym for "GNU's Not Unix!", chosen because GNU's design is Unix-like, but differs from Unix by being free software and containing no Unix code and was the original focus of the Free Software Foundation (FSF). However, non-GNU kernels, most famously the Linux kernel, can also be used with GNU software. The combination of GNU software and the Linux kernel is commonly known as Linux (or less frequently GNU/Linux).

Linux is an operating system: a series of programs that let you interact with your computer and run other programs.

An operating system consists of various fundamental programs which are needed by your computer so that it can communicate and receive instructions from users; read and write data to hard disks, tapes, and printers; control the use of memory; and run other software. The most important part of an operating system is the kernel. In a GNU/Linux system, Linux is the kernel component. The rest of the system consists of other programs, many of which were written by or for the GNU Project. Because the Linux kernel alone does not form a working operating system, we prefer to use the term “GNU/Linux” to refer to systems that many people casually refer to as “Linux”.

Linux is modelled on the Unix operating system. From the start, Linux was designed to be a multi- tasking, multi-user system. These facts are enough to make Linux different from other well-known operating systems. However, Linux is even more different than you might imagine. In contrast to other operating systems, nobody owns Linux. Much of its development is done by unpaid volunteers.

Development of what later became GNU/Linux began in 1984, when the Free Software Foundation began development of a free Unix-like operating system called GNU.

The GNU Project has developed a comprehensive set of free software tools for use with Unix and Unix-like operating systems such as Linux. These tools enable users to perform tasks ranging from the mundane (such as copying or removing files from the system) to the arcane (such as writing and compiling programs or doing sophisticated editing in a variety of document formats).

While many groups and individuals have contributed to Linux, the largest single contributor is still the Free Software Foundation, which created not only most of the tools used in Linux, but also the philosophy and the community that made Linux possible.

The Linux kernel first appeared in 1991, when a Finnish computing science student named Linus Torvalds announced an early version of a replacement kernel for Minix to the Usenet newsgroup comp.os.minix.

Linus Torvalds continues to coordinate the work of several hundred developers with the help of a number of subsystem maintainers. Linux users have immense freedom of choice in their software. For example, Linux users can choose from a dozen different command line shells and several graphical desktops. This selection is often bewildering to users of other operating systems, who are not used to thinking of the command line or desktop as something that they can change.

Linux is also less likely to crash, better able to run more than one program at the same time, and more secure than many operating systems. With these advantages, Linux is the fastest growing operating system in the server market. More recently, Linux has begun to be popular among home and business users as well.

Most popular Linux operating systems are Ubuntu, Debian, Linux Mint, Fedora, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, OpenSUSE, Mandriva, Arch Linux, Slackware Linux, Puppy Linux.

Ubuntu

A community-developed Linux-based operating system that can be used on desktops, laptops and servers. The operating system includes a variety of applications including those for word processing, e-mail applications, Web server software and also programming tools. Ubuntu is free of charge, including enterprise releases and security updates. It also comes with full commercial support from Canonical. Ubuntu is available in both a desktop and server edition.

Ubuntu is an ancient African word meaning ‘humanity to others’. It also means ‘I am what I am because of who we all are’. The Ubuntu operating system brings the spirit of Ubuntu to the world of computers.

Linux was already established as an enterprise server platform in 2004, but free software was not a part of everyday life for most computer users. That’s why Mark Shuttleworth gathered a small team of developers from one of the most established Linux projects — Debian — and set out to create an easy-to-use Linux desktop: Ubuntu.

The vision for Ubuntu is part social and part economic: free software, available to everybody on the same terms, and funded through a portfolio of services provided by Canonical.

Introduction to Linux and Ubuntu Educational Software: A Conceptual Overview

Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) has gained significant traction in the educational realm due to its affordability and flexibility. Linux, a popular open-source operating system, and its Ubuntu distribution, offer a rich ecosystem of educational software that empowers students and educators alike.

Conceptual Overview of Linux and Ubuntu

• Linux: A family of open-source operating systems known for their stability, security, and versatility.

• Ubuntu: A popular Linux distribution that is user-friendly and widely adopted in the educational sector.

• Open Source: Software whose source code is freely available, allowing for modification, distribution, and improvement by anyone.

Educational Software for Linux and Ubuntu

The Linux and Ubuntu ecosystem boasts a vast array of educational software, covering various subjects and learning styles. Some notable examples include:

• Office Suites:

  • LibreOffice: A comprehensive office suite offering word processing, spreadsheet, presentation, and other productivity tools.

  • Calligra Suite: Another popular suite with similar features and a focus on desktop publishing.

• Programming Environments:

  • Geany: A lightweight and versatile IDE for multiple programming languages.

  • Code::Blocks: A more feature-rich IDE with support for debugging and profiling.

• Mathematics and Science:

  • GeoGebra: A dynamic mathematics software for geometry, algebra, calculus, and statistics.

  • Scilab: A free and open-source scientific computing software.

• Multimedia and Design:

  • GIMP: A powerful image editor comparable to Photoshop.

  • Blender: A 3D creation suite for modeling, animation, rendering, and more.

• Educational Games:

  • Tux Paint: A fun and educational painting program for children.

  • Scratch: A visual programming language for creating interactive stories, games, and animations.

Advantages of Using Linux and Ubuntu in Education

• Affordability: FOSS software is often free or comes at a lower cost compared to proprietary alternatives.

• Flexibility: Linux and Ubuntu offer a high degree of customization, allowing educators to tailor the learning environment to specific needs.

• Security: Open-source software is often subject to rigorous scrutiny, making it generally more secure.

• Community Support: A large and active community of developers and users provides support and resources.

• Educational Focus: Many FOSS projects have a strong educational focus, incorporating pedagogical principles into their design.

By leveraging the power of Linux and Ubuntu, educators can create engaging and effective learning experiences that foster creativity, problem-solving, and critical thinking skills.

Educational Software

Educational software, or computer applications developed for the purpose of teaching and learning, arrived with virtually the first desktop computers.

Educational software encompasses a variety of forms, costs, and purposes. Programs exist to teach individual preschoolers letter names, sounds, and grammar in English as well as other languages. Other programs introduce mathematical concepts for all grades, or are aimed at helping to develop

good writing skills. Some programs, such as flight simulators, teach professionals the details of their jobs. Still other programs, called Learning Management Systems (LMSs), are designed for use by certain grades in entire school districts for teaching or evaluation purposes; these often include access to a software company's web site for comprehensive services.

With a wide range of educational software and certified hardware, Ubuntu provides secure, cost- effective, accessible computing for students, teachers and school administrators.

GeoGebra is an interactive geometry, algebra, statistics and calculus application, intended for learning and teaching mathematics and science from primary school to university level.

GeoGebra is available on multiple platforms with its desktop applications for Windows, Mac OS and Linux, with its tablet apps for Android, iPad and Windows, and with its web application based on HTML5 technology.

Constructions can be made with points, vectors, segments, lines, polygons, conic sections, inequalities, implicit polynomials and functions. All of them can be changed dynamically afterwards. Elements can be entered and modified directly via mouse and touch, or through the Input Bar. GeoGebra has the ability to use variables for numbers, vectors and points, find derivatives and integrals of functions and has a full complement of commands like Root or Extremum. Teachers and students can use GeoGebra to make conjectures and to understand how to prove geometric theorems.

GeoGebra is a dynamic geometry program. You can do constructions with points, vectors, segments, lines, conic sections as well as functions and change them dynamically afterwards. On the other hand, equations and coordinates can be entered directly.

Support for many geometric constructions is provided, as well as support for many calculus-based tools (derivatives, osculating circle, ...).

GeoGebra files can be exported in many different formats, or as interactive applets for web pages.

Stellarium is a free open source planetarium for your computer. It shows a realistic sky in 3D, just like what you see with the naked eye, binoculars or a telescope. It is being used in planetarium projectors.

Stellarium is a software project that allows people to use their home computer as a virtual planetarium. It calculates the positions of the Sun and Moon, planets and stars, and draws how the sky would look to an observer depending on their location and the time. It can also draw the constellations and simulate astronomical phenomena such as meteor showers, and solar or lunar eclipses.

Stellarium may be used as an educational tool for teaching about the night sky, as an observational aid for amateur astronomers wishing to plan a night's observing, or simply as a curiosity (it's fun!). Because of the high quality of the graphics that Stellarium produces, it is used in some real planetarium projector products. Some amateur astronomy groups use it to create sky maps for describing regions of the sky in articles for newsletters and magazines.

Stellarium renders 3D photo-realistic skies in real-time. With stellarium, you really see what you can see with your eyes, binoculars or a small telescope.

Some features:

·         Over 120000 stars from the Hipparcos Catalogue with name and infos for the brightest ones,

·         Planets in real time, with a powerful zoom mode to see them like in a telescope,

·         Drawing of the 88 constellations with their names,

·         Drawing of more than 40 messiers objects (Orion, M31 etc..),

·         Photorealistic Milky Way,

·         Ground, fog, and landscape,

·         Clickable stars, planets and nebulas with information,

    ·   Windowed and full screen modes. Stellarium should not be used for very high accurate calculation or ephemerides like eclipse predictions. However, it is the ideal program to prepare an observation evening with naked eye, binocular, or small telescope.