Questions tagged [open-source]

Questions about open-source software, licensing and other related.

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60 votes
2 answers
14k views

How to make sure I'm not using any proprietary software after installation?

I know I can check the currently installed non-free software with the following command (assuming aptitude is FOSS): aptitude search '?installed (?section(restricted) | ?section(multiverse))' And I ...
Public Void's user avatar
20 votes
5 answers
5k views

Why is there proprietary software in Ubuntu Software Center?

My question is very simple: how to get rid of proprietary software from the Ubuntu Software Center (USC)? It doesn’t work to enable or disable repositories. Even with just the “universe” and “main” ...
Tio TROM's user avatar
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7 votes
10 answers
2k views

What simple FLOSS software can I use to produce nice data visualization?

I am looking here for the best simple and intuitive application that is designed to produce neat looking graphs, for example "number of Ubuntu users in the last 10 years" or "average amounts paid by ...
stragu's user avatar
  • 1,958
5 votes
3 answers
4k views

How to review the current state of open source vs. closed source graphics drivers?

How to know whether it's worth it to replace open source drivers installed by default with proprietary ones. Are there any benchmarks? Major known issues summaries. I don't mean 'at the time of ...
Bucic's user avatar
  • 4,044
5 votes
3 answers
12k views

How to install the Wire messenger desktop app/client on Ubuntu?

The secure and private Wire messenger app with end-to-end encryption is a great open source alternative for Whatsapp, Skype, Viber, WeChat, FB Messenger, Telegram. You don't need a cell phone number ...
Filbuntu's user avatar
  • 13k
177 votes
11 answers
204k views

Command line tool to crop PDF files

I am looking for an open source command line tool to crop PDF file just like we can do in Adobe Acrobat Pro. I have tried PdfTk, ImageMagick, PyPDF, and GhostScript—all with no success so far.
Rakesh's user avatar
  • 2,054
17 votes
3 answers
4k views

Does Ubuntu contain Non-free kernel blobs and other non-free system components?

I heard Richard Stallman say that Ubuntu contains non-free blobs. Why does it have such blobs and what functions do these non-free blobs and system components do that free software can't? Does ...
Ufoguy's user avatar
  • 1,268
6 votes
2 answers
21k views

Is Ubuntu an open source software? [duplicate]

Is Ubuntu an open source software (OSS)?
Lily's user avatar
  • 61
4 votes
1 answer
770 views

How can I self-host Ubuntu One?

The Ubuntu One service is closing and being open sourced: Additionally, we continue to believe in the Ubuntu One file services, the quality of the code, and the user experience, so will release ...
metakermit's user avatar
  • 2,640
65 votes
5 answers
44k views

Is there a difference between free software and open source software?

I am a bit confused about these two terms. Are there differences between them?
Mysterio's user avatar
  • 12k
18 votes
3 answers
844 views

Why do we have non-free software in the official repositories?

The Ubuntu wiki describes the "sections" of the official Ubuntu repositories as follows: Main - Officially supported software. Restricted - Supported software that is not available under a ...
8128's user avatar
  • 28.7k
12 votes
1 answer
3k views

Open Source command line tool for optimizing PDF

Are there any open-source command line tool for optimizing PDF in Ubuntu. I have used Ghost Script and i am able to convert the PDF into 72 dpi, gs -sDEVICE=pdfwrite \ -dCompatibilityLevel=1.4 \ ...
Rakesh's user avatar
  • 2,054
12 votes
3 answers
2k views

Are apt packages in main and universe ALWAYS guaranteed to be built from source by Ubuntu or Debian mantainers?

I wonder if Canonical (and/or Debian) provide any sort of guarantee that all packages in main and universe repos are always either built from source by themselves, or verified by them (in case of ...
geekley's user avatar
  • 549
10 votes
3 answers
4k views

Open Source friendly Graphics Card manufacturers?

Everyone knows that in general, Nvidia has the best supported graphics cards under Linux. But I don't want to buy into Nvidia's proprietary drivers if I don't have to. ATI has open source drivers, but ...
Sepero's user avatar
  • 4,557
7 votes
2 answers
672 views

Is the Ubuntu kernel 100% free software?

I got curious today, and ran vrms to check which non-free packages I had. To my great surprise, no kernel packages appeared. It used to be the case that the kernel contained some small non-free ...
josinalvo's user avatar
  • 6,947
4 votes
5 answers
5k views

Is open source software vulnerable to viruses?

I understand the ideas behind open source software, but I am more interested in the security aspects. How is open source software not exposed to viruses or any kind of Internet attack? How does it ...
bebojoor's user avatar
  • 597
4 votes
2 answers
878 views

Broadcom open source drivers available in Maverick?

I have a laptop with a broadcom BCM4322 802.11a/b/g/n wireless adapter and its using the proprietary STA drivers (perfectly), however I thought broadcom released open source drivers and that they ...
Nick HS's user avatar
  • 781
3 votes
1 answer
4k views

How do I install the linux-libre kernel?

is it possible to install linux-libre kernel on my ubuntu 64 bit version. Advance thanks for all gnu free software developers.
Melc's user avatar
  • 243
3 votes
6 answers
4k views

How do I set up my laptop for dual boot?

I suppose to buy a Laptop and want to install Linux OS(not decided which distribution to use), and I have a large volume of data with the NTFS format drive externally. How do I need to format my ...
Abimaran Kugathasan's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
125 views

Which repository are free software on 12.04

I know restricted and multiverse are not free software, but what about source code and independent? EDIT : I'm referring to free as in freedom.
phil's user avatar
  • 55