|
The Linux Information Project (LINFO) was begun in early 2004 for the purpose of providing high quality, comprehensive, accessible and free information about Linux and other open source software. High quality means that each article is written in a manner that is as useful, accurate, clear, consistent and interesting as possible. This is attained in large part through the use of publication-quality, standard American English and careful editing of each page prior to posting. Comprehensive means covering all aspects of Linux and other open source software. This includes not only the technical aspects, but also the economic, legal, philosophical, historical and other aspects. Related technologies (e.g., products which use open source software) are also covered where appropriate. Accessible means that each individual page as well as the site as a whole are designed to be as useful as possible for the widest possible audience, including persons having (1) little or no Linux (or computer) knowledge or experience, (2) older, low speed computers and/or slow connections to the Internet, (3) little or no access to computer books, (4) English as a secondary language and (5) visual impairments or other disabilities. Among the techniques that are used to help achieve this broadly defined accessibility are (1) making each article as self explanatory as possible, (2) maintaining a consistency of style both within individual pages and throughout the site as a whole, (3) designing pages to minimize browser loading times, (4) providing historical and other background material where practical and (5) carefully explaining each topic so that it can be easily understood without the need for images. Free means that the contents of the site are free for anyone anywhere to read or study to any extent desired without any fees or registration requirements. It also means freedom from annoying banner ads, pop-up ads and other distractions. Free can also be interpreted to mean that anyone has the opportunity to make suggestions as to how the content and presentation can be improved and that such suggestions will be evaluated and implemented if and when appropriate and to the extent that resources permit. All material on this website is copyrighted, as is the case with software released under the GNU Public License (GPL), the open source license which is used by Linux and most other free software. Unfortunately, there can be no such thing as absolute freedom with respect to works such as this, with respect to software or with respect to human existence itself (i.e., even the freest of countries must have some restrictions and obligations in order to protect their freedom). Copyright, when used in a benevolent way, can discourage abuse by a very small minority and thereby provide the maximum freedom for the majority of users. Linux, also referred to as GNU/Linux, is a high performance, yet free (both in a monetary sense and with regard to use), Unix-like computer operating system that is suitable for use on a wide range of computers and other products. It was started in 1991 by Linus Torvalds while a student at the University of Helsinki in Finland. The word Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds. Open source refers to software for which the source code (i.e., the original version of the software as written in a human readable form) is freely available for anyone to use for any purpose, including to study, modify, improve, extend, copy, give away and even sell for a profit. The Linux Information Project is currently hosted on the Bellevue Linux Users Group website (www.bellevuelinux.org). Created January 19, 2005. |