Linux

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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).

Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.

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FSF announces Librephone project (www.fsf.org)

submitted 3 days ago by JRepin@lemmy.ml to c/linux@lemmy.ml

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The Free Software Foundation (FSF) today announced its project to bring mobile phone freedom to users. "Librephone" is an initiative to reverse-engineer obstacles preventing mobile phone freedom until its goal is achieved.

Librephone is a new initiative by the FSF with the goal of bringing full freedom to the mobile computing environment. The vast majority of software users around the world use a mobile phone as their primary computing device. After forty years of advocacy for computing freedom, the FSF will now work to bring the right to study, change, share, and modify the programs users depend on in their daily lives to mobile phones.

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[–] majster@lemmy.zip 30 points 3 days ago

I think this intiative is spot on. I would describe current approach of 2 major OS vendors, Google and Microsoft as such:

Microsoft demands standardization at firmware level via UEFI, ACPI etc. because they bring OS kernel and userspace.

Google demands Linux API version and brings just userspace.

In theory Google approach better facilitates open ecosystem but each OEM treats Linux kernel as just a firmware blob so the end situation is actually worse.

On the PC we have standardized firmware while Android chases Linux API levels each release and thus undermines the whole ecosystem.