Freed software

Saying “free software” has always caused confusion. Most people think gratis, while in the software world we mean libre – software that’s freed from constraint. Freed software that’s available to all, to use as people see fit and at no cost, and that even provides the source code so you can modify, contribute to and redistribute that same freed software.

When Richard Stallman formed the Free Software Foundation 38 years ago, we’re not sure he realised quite how close he was to seeing the real problems of the 21st century: DRM media you never own, social media sites tracking and selling your every bit of data, corporate tracking devices willingly carried by all, and fully walled-garden proprietary ecosystems the norm.

So, let’s take a moment to thank the crummy printer company that refused to provide Stallman with the source code for its jammed device and so sparked a free software revolution that would challenge the proprietary software world!

And that’s why we’re here, 300 issues on. This magazine has seen the Linux world go from relative server-room obscurity to a mainstream cloud-powering behemoth, not to mention the open source, free software world that made it all happen. So, this issue, we having a small celebration of Linux and open source in all its varied glory, which means we have classic distro reviews from yesteryear, a Roundup of the best current distros, a look back at the free software movement and a spotlight on the best free and open source software. There’s really so much to enjoy!