Stallman conceives a movement about the defense of the free software and it is an interesting topic to discuss and it has been converted in a stimulus for all computers users and developers to create free software that can be modified, and distributed freely. Private software does not benefit the humanity and the informatics. On the contrary, it induces to have more insecure, expensive, and inaccessible systems applications. I do not pretend to cross out the private software as obsolete and inefficient. The existence of private software is considered important only in specific applications. However, the free software brings more advantages and benefits. Free software brings a lot of benefits to the informatics and the users in general. It can bring more advantages than the private software because it can be secure and appropriate for businesses, a powerful tool for educational institutions, and be improved to help the community.
First of all, Everyday businesses are facing constantly internal operational and technological changes and having free software is appropriate and secure to offer a solution to all this changes. Having access to the original source code is a huge advantage because businesses can make adjustments, corrections or simply add new functions that are exclusive for the organization. For example, it can be used to personalize printers, to accomplish a specific task, for security audits and to keep privacy of the data. On the contrary, private software is expensive, unsecure and it has copy protection. For this reason, many organizations are considering moving away from their current Operating Systems to Linux for example. Another example of free software is Apache, a powerful Web server that offers reliable, se...
... middle of paper ...
...n be adaptable to users’ needs, but also provides security, transparency and is more powerful. It is important to open our minds to learn and create new applications that will contribute and help to our community in different aspects in life. There are similarities between free and private software, but it is important to highlight the differences between them and which one it is more appropriate for businesses, a powerful tool for educational institutions, and beneficial for our community. We need to consider the advantages of the free software and the use for our own purposes, without legal actions and to continue to expand it.
Works Cited
Richard, Stallman. "Why Software Should Be Free." GNU Operating System. Free Software, Free Society: The Selected Essays of Richard M. Stallman, 20 sep 2011. Web. 2 Oct 2011. .
The notion that software should be free is one that is highly critiqued within the technology industry. Free, as in the idea that users can obtain the source code for any given program, and modify and redistribute it as they like. Currently most all software produced is proprietary in nature. Corporations pay developers to create proprietary software that they then obstruct (so that no modifications can be made), and sell (to turn a profit). Richard Stallman has been fighting the idea of proprietary software, and specifically software ownership, for decades. Stallman holds the stance that software ownership is a detriment to society, and stifles innovation, education, and social cohesion.
Open source software is an important component of today’s higher education. It is basically a sharing of information. The advances of the arts and sciences are a result of the open sharing of ideas, theories, studies and research. Yet the software that is being use on computers at many school systems is closed and locked, making educators partners in the suppression of the foundational information of this new age (Chauhan) .
The purpose of this document is to compare and contrast three different Linux vendors in regards to their specific server and workstation OS products they offer in the workplace. In addition, I will discuss the price for each vendor, specifications, performance, and reliability. The three vendors I would like to discuss are Arch Linux, Red Hat Enterprise, and Ubuntu. Linux is an operating system that has several distros to choose from. Linux allows the user more control of the system and greater flexibility. As an open operating system, Linux is developed collaboratively, meaning no one company is solely responsible for its development or ongoing support. Companies participating in the Linux economy share research and development costs with
Created by Philip Zimmermann in 1991, this program has been widely used throughout the global computer community to protect the confidentiality and integrity of the users’ data, giving them the privacy of delivering messages and files only to their intended individual or authorized person (Singh, 2012). Not only being useful for individuals as a privacy-ensuring program, it has also been used in many corporations to protect their company’s data from falling into the wrong hands (Rouse, 2005).
Critics say that Article 2B is biased in favor of software vendors. While this is the dominant issue for this paper, there are some positive ideas prop...
As the internet is becoming faster and faster, an operating system (OS) is needed to manage the data in computers. An Operating system can be considered to be a set of programed codes that are created to control hardware such as computers. In 1985 Windows was established as an operating system and a year earlier Mac OS was established, and they have dominated the market of the computer programs since that time. Although, many companies have provided other operating systems, most users still prefer Mac as the most secured system and windows as it provides more multiple functions. This essay will demonstrate the differences between windows
The computer is considered one of the most important technological advances of the twentieth century. Security and privacy issues have been in existence long before the computer became a vital component of organizations' operations. Nevertheless, the operating features of a computer make it a double-edged sword. Computer technologies with reliable error detection and recording capabilities, permit the invasion of a supposedly secure environment to occur on a grand scale and go undetected. Furthermore, computer and communications technology permit the invasion of a persons' privacy and likewise go undetected. Two forces threaten privacy: one, the growth of information technology with its enhanced capacity for surveillance, communication, computation, storage and retrieval and two, the more insidious threat, the increased value of information in decision making. Information has become more vital in the competitive environment, thus, decision makers covet it even if it viol!
The reason for this rapid adoption is Linux’s unique ability to provide powerful functionality, security, compatibility, customization at a more cost-effective price than proprietary vendors. In its inception, there were many perceived concerns to utilizing Linux in a corporate infrastructure.
1. There are several advantages to proprietary products over open source products: better quality control issues in creating products; a firmer control over the licensing, either the technology the product is based on or what material (music in this case) can be used with the proprietary device; the potential to build brand loyalty (for example Sony memory cards only work in their products, if you’ve already bought these cards you could be more likely to purchase additional Sony products in the future); pricing – companies could possibly charge a premium price for their proprietary products as there could be few to no competitors in a specific market space; vertical markets (if Sony is providing the device, memory card and music the majority of revenues are staying in-house); and proprietary products could potentially create barriers to entry.
In recent times we might consider that the right for privacy in one of our major achievements in our society. Unfortunately the same does not apply for the Internet. The Internet once considered a place for free information exchange and sharing, has the potential has becoming the biggest threat to its users. The commercialization of the Internet is one of the major reasons why the chances of a compromise of our privacy have increased. Customer profiling, address trading or simple lack of care with sensitive customer information are just some of the threats that this commercialization has bought to our ‘free’ Internet. Another reason being that with the increase of threats there is a regular change in technology to counter these threats. These changes make it harder for the already overstrained users to cope with the ever changing technology.
Computers; they are a part of or in millions of homes; they are an intricate part of just about every if not all successful businesses, the government, and the military. Computers have become common place in today’s society and the lives of the people who live in it. They have crossed every national, racial, cultural, educational, and financial barrier, which consequently ushered in the information age. A computer is a programmable electronic device that can store, retrieve and process data, and they come in all shapes, and sizes. They can be used for and in just about anything. As stated before, they are used in just about every aspect of modern society. They are so fundamental to modern society that it would be disastrous to society without them. As stated before, there are many areas in modern society that are run by computers. They play an intricate part of millions of homes in the world. Office workers in business, government and the military may use them to write letters, keep rosters, create budgets, find information, manage projects, communicate with workers, and so on. They are used in education, medicine, music, law enforcement, and unfortunately crime. Because computers have become such a part of the world and how it operates, there is a tremendous responsibility for those who are in control of these computers and the vital information that they carry, to manage and protect them properly. This is management and protection is vital because any loss or damage could be disastrous for the affected entity. For example, a mistake or intentional alteration of a personal credit file could affect ones ability to buy a car or home, or can lead to legal actions against the affected person until the mistake or intentional alteration has been corrected. Therefore, with the advent of computers in the information age, and all of the intentional and unintentional violations against them, comes the need to safeguard them and the information they carry with strong systems and policies of computer security.
As Evgeny Morozov would contend the problem of privacy with regards to technology is not a new dilemma. Commenting on Paul Baran’s essay The Future Computer Utility, Morozov came to the conclusion “our contemporary privacy problem is not contemporary.” (Morozov 2013) Though we do have newer considerations because of social networking, piracy, identity theft, and transparency, we are not suffering from an unforeseen nor unfamiliar idea. Upon further analysis of the technology issues there are many ways technology is changing the fabric of society. From children not having the physical dexterity to play with wooden blocks (Ratcliffe 2014) to private information getting hacked. There are a number of concerns regarding privacy and technology.
Beside that“… [that] some U.S. states are now requiring young people to take a least one online course during their schooling” (Loertscher, Koechlin 50). The term of the online learning, it is demonstrated through some software have been provided by private cooperation to schools. These software such as Blackboard, Webex. Litmos, and others. Therefore, the online learning has become more available and reliable because of the technology development in the 21st century inspire of technology. When it comes to the online learning been provided by the schools and other educational institutes some argued that, it will reduce the education cost, saves time, and provide more quality of the learning, but other said it will not make any differences and lower the quality of
Over the years it has been seen that education has taken up several forms. With the advent of technology, education has also been integrated with technology. Previously it was seen that education was achieved through written forms of paper with pen or pencil. The use of pen and pencil can be dated back to the Roman Empire. However, with the developing pace the traditional means of attaining education are changing. The introduction of information technology has brought forth a new way of learning through the internet. E-learning is the new form of education introduced by IT which helps people to attain knowledge through the use of their computers. A portal is introduced by the use of information technology which the students are able to access and to take tests. However, this new technology also brings with it other ethical issues of plagiarism and social contact. Online education is an inadequate alternative for traditional, classroom-based teaching for several reasons: there is no interactive communication between the student and the instructor, potential employers do not value online course work, class offerings are limited, instructor feedback to the student might be delayed for days, and group projects are nonexistent.
Software engineering is important in today’s society because we use the products of software engineering almost daily. We use the products of software engineering in objects as simple as our car keys to objects as complicated as supercomputers. The past, present, and future of software engineering is quite interesting. This paper will provide information about this field of study and why software engineering is going to be around a while.