Title: Linux Philosophy and Software Licensing
Course: CIS 121: Linux/UNIX I: Fundamentals ~ For IGNITE Review > Section: Learning Modules

Perhaps software licensing sounds as exciting to you as watching cement harden, but understanding it and all the variations of licensing is important to people who work with software, not just lawyers. In this module we will briefly examine the different licensing approaches and why we care about them.

- Explain the concept of Open Source Software
- Explaing the needs and uses of embedded computers, desktop/laptop computers and servers.
- Explain why understanding software licensing is important.
- Define copyright, patents and trademarks.  Explain the difference.
- Understand the Free Software Foundation Philosophy and the Open Source Philosophy and be able to explain the difference.
- Explain the GPL and OSI.
- Define OSS.
- Define the Creative Commons.
- Explain the different types of open source licenses.
- Understand the various Open Source Business Models.

Required Activities:

- Readings
  - Review the pages in this module
  - Read Chapters 2-3, pages 21-47, in the Linux Essentials text book

  - Videos and Presentations - View the following videos and use the presentation as an extra resource outlining the topics covered in the videos. Consider pausing the videos at different intervals while you practice what is taught.

  - Software Licensing Does Matter (Sometimes) PDF or ODP
  - Software Licensing Does Matter (Sometimes) video lecture (Time: 28:31)
  - Linux Philosophy PDF or ODP
  - Linux Philosphy video lecture (Time: 15:47)
- Exercise - complete the following exercises (located under the Exercises link within the left navigation area):
  - Exercise A
- Quiz - complete the following quiz (located under the Quizzes and Exams link within the left navigation area):
  - Quiz A