Linux Operating System Linux is a free open-source operating system based on Unix. Linux was originally created by Linus Torvalds with the assistance of developers from around the globe. Linux is free to download, edit and distribute. Linux is a very powerful operating system and it is gradually becoming popular throughout the world. Linus Torvalds

Compatibility: It runs all common Unix software packages and can process all common file formats. Better use of hard disk: Linux uses its resources well enough even when the hard disk is almost full. Multitasking: Linux is a multitasking operating system. It can handle many things at the same time.

Security: Linux is one of the most secure operating systems Security: Linux is one of the most secure operating systems. File ownership and permissions make Linux more secure. Open source: Linux is an Open source operating systems. You can easily get the source code for Linux and edit it to develop your personal operating system.

Today, Linux is widely used for both basic home and office uses Today, Linux is widely used for both basic home and office uses. It is the main operating system used for high performance business and in web servers. Linux has made a high impact in this world. There is a large number of Linux distributions which gives you a wider choice. Each organization develop and support different distribution. You can pick the one you like best; the core function's are the same. Fast and easy installation: Linux distributions come with user-friendly installation.

Better use of hard disk: Linux uses its resources well enough even when the hard disk is almost full. Multitasking: Linux is a multitasking operating system. It can handle many things at the same time. Security: Linux is one of the most secure operating systems. File ownership and permissions make Linux more secure.

Open source: Linux is an Open source operating systems Open source: Linux is an Open source operating systems. You can easily get the source code for Linux and edit it to develop your personal operating system. Today, Linux is widely used for both basic home and office uses. It is the main operating system used for high performance business and in web servers. Linux has made a high impact in this world.

Advantages of Linux Low cost: There is no need to spend time and huge amount money to obtain licenses since Linux and much of it’s software come with the GNU General Public License. There is no need to worry about any software's that you use in Linux. Stability: Linux has high stability compared with other operating systems. There is no need to reboot the Linux system to maintain performance levels. Rarely it freeze up or slow down. It has a continuous up-times of hundreds of days or more. Performance: Linux provides high performance on various networks. It has the ability to handle large numbers of users simultaneously.

Networking: Linux provides a strong support for network functionality; client and server systems can be easily set up on any computer running Linux. It can perform tasks like network backup more faster than other operating systems. Flexibility: Linux is very flexible. Linux can be used for high performance server applications, desktop applications, and embedded systems. You can install only the needed components for a particular use. You can also restrict the use of specific computers.

Persistence - keep track of the last set(s) of search results, and provide easy access to them Power - use multiple categories and search engines together at the same time, and correlate the search results in meaningful ways. Usefulness - provide filtering so that bad/non-useful search results can be removed

Ease of use - beginning/intermediate users should be able to merely type in some text and begin searching for results Extensibility - as no one search engine can satisfy every user, choice of search engines is important flexibility - as users searching habits advance, so should the abilities of the browser enable more options

Open Source Software Open-source software (OSS) is computer software that is available in source code form for which the source code and certain other rights normally reserved for copyright holders are provided under a software license that permits users to study, change, and improve the software. Open source licenses meet the requirements of the Open Source Definition. Some open source software is available within the public domain. Open source software is very often developed in a public, collaborative 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. The term open-source software originated as part of a marketing campaign for free software. A report by Standish Group states that adoption of open-source software models has resulted in savings of about $60 billion per year to consumers.

Free Libre and Open Source Software Free and open source software (F/OSS, FOSS) or free/libre/open source software (FLOSS) is software that is liberally licensed to grant the right of users to use, study, change, and improve its design through the availability of its source code. This approach has gained both momentum and acceptance as the potential benefits have been increasingly recognized by both individuals and corporate players.

In the context of free and open source software, free refers to the freedom to copy and re-use the software, rather than to the price of the software. The Free Software Foundation, an organization that advocates the free software model, suggests that, to understand the concept, one should "think of free as in free speech, not as in free beer". Free and open source software is an inclusive term which covers both free software and open source software which, despite describing similar development models, have differing cultures and philosophies.

Free software focuses on the philosophical freedoms it gives to users while open source focuses on the perceived strengths of its peer-to-peer development model. FOSS is a term that can be used without particular bias towards either political approach. Free software licenses and open source licenses are used by many software packages. While the licenses themselves are in most cases the same, the two terms grew out of different philosophies and are often used to signify different distribution methodologies.

Difference between Free Software and Open source software The main difference is that by choosing one term over the other (i.e. either "open source" or "free software") you let others know about what your goals are. As Richard M. Stallman puts it, "Open source is a development methodology; free software is a social movement." Critics have said that the term “open source” fosters an ambiguity of a different kind such that it confuses the mere availability of the source with the freedom to use, modify, and redistribute it. Developers have used the alternative terms Free/open source Software (FOSS), or Free/Libre/open source Software (FLOSS), consequently, to describe open source software which is also free software.

The term “open source” was originally intended to be trademarkeable; however, the term was deemed too descriptive, so no trademark exists. The OSI would prefer that people treat Open Source as if it were a trademark, and use it only to describe software licensed under an OSI approved license. OSI Certified is a trademark licensed only to people who are distributing software licensed under a license listed on the Open Source Initiative's list. Open source software and free software are different terms for software which comes with certain rights, or freedoms, for the user. They describe two approaches and philosophies towards free software. Open source and free software (or software libre) both describe software which is free from onerous licensing restrictions. It may be used, copied, studied, modified and redistributed without restriction. Free software is not the same as freeware, software available at zero price.

The definition of open source software was written to be almost identical to the free software definition. There are very few cases of software that is free software but is not open source software, and vice versa. The difference in the terms is where they place the emphasis. “Free software” is defined in terms of giving the user freedom. This reflects the goal of the free software movement. “Open source” highlights that the source code is viewable to all and proponents of the term usually emphasize the quality of the software and how this is caused by the development models which are possible and popular among free and open source software projects.

Free software licenses are not written exclusively by the FSF Free software licenses are not written exclusively by the FSF. The FSF and the OSI both list licenses which meet their respective definitions of free software. The FSF believes that knowledge of the concept of freedom is an essential requirement, insists on the use of the term free, and separates itself from the open source movement

OSI- Open source initiative The Open Source Initiative (OSI) is an organization dedicated to promoting open source software. It was prompted by Netscape Communications Corporation publishing the source code for its flagship Netscape Communicator product. The organization was founded in February 1998, by Bruce Perens and Eric S. Raymond,  Bruce Perens Eric S Raymond 

The early period of the open-source movement coincided with and partly drove the dot-com boom of 1998─2000, and saw a large growth in the popularity of Linux and the formation of many open-source-friendly companies. The movement also caught the attention of the mainstream software industry, leading to open-source software offerings by established software companies such as Corel (Corel Linux), Sun Microsystems (OpenOffice.org), and IBM (OpenAFS). By the time the dot-com boom busted in 2001, many of the early hopes of open-source advocates had already borne fruit, and the movement continued from strength to strength in the cost-cutting climate of the 2001─2003 recession.

World Wide Web Consortium Founded and headed by Tim Berners-Lee, the consortium is made up of member organizations which maintain full-time staff for the purpose of working together in the development of standards for the World Wide Web. The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) was founded by Tim Berners-Lee after he left the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) in October, 1994 The Consortium is governed by its membership, which in August 2009 comprised 355 organizations. The list of members is available to the public. Members include businesses, nonprofit organizations, universities, governmental entities, and individuals. Tim Berners Lee

Proprietary Software Proprietary software is computer software licensed under exclusive legal right of its owner. The purchaser, or licensee, is given the right to use the software under certain conditions, but restricted from other uses, such as modification, further distribution, or reverse engineering. Closed-source software, or software distributed without its source code, is proprietary. The owner of proprietary software exercises certain exclusive rights over the software. Commonly, the owner restricts use, inspection of source code, modification of source code, and redistribution.

Exclusive rights Vendors typically limit the number of computers on which software can be used, and prohibit the user from installing the software on additional computers. For example, restricted use is sometimes enforced through a technical measure, such as product activation, a product key or serial number, a hardware key, or copy protection. Vendors may also distribute versions that remove particular features, or versions which allow only certain fields of endeavor, such as non-commercial, educational, or non-profit use.

Examples:- Windows Vista Starter is restricted to running a maximum of three concurrent applications. The retail edition of Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007 is limited to non-commercial use on up three devices in one household. Windows XP can be installed on one computer, and limits the number of network file sharing connections to 10. The Home Edition disables features present in Windows XP Professional.