Free Software Magazine
Encyclopedia
Free Software Magazine (also known as FSM and originally titled The Open Voice) is a website which produces a (generally bi-monthly) mostly free-content e-zine about free software
.
It was started in November 2004 by Australian Tony Mobily, the former editor of TUX Magazine
, under the auspices of The Open Company Partners, Inc. (based in the United States of America), and carried the subtitle The free magazine for the free software world.
than mass-produced print Linux magazines. Under this model, the articles were freely licensed six weeks after the print edition's publication. As O'Reilly Media
's onLAMP.com noted, "several excellent magazines cover Linux, but they’re directed at particular subsets of Linux users and don’t have the broad mandate of Free Software Magazine."
However, the high costs of printing and postage resulted in the magazine moving to exclusively electronic publication via PDF
.
and omit the styling and presentation of the print-ready ones.
, the GNU Project
and free software in general, including articles about software freedom and how it can be protected. The issues had three main sections:
Power-up: Non-technical articles about various subjects (interviews, opinions, book reviews, etc.)
User space: Articles aimed at end users.
Hacker's code: Technical articles about what can be achieved with free software.
Most of the articles are released under a free license (generally a Creative Commons License
or GNU Free Documentation License
). Some articles are released under a verbatim-copying-only license.
In keeping with the move to more on-line content, FSM moved to blog-style columns where regular authors write on more political, philosophical and ethical aspects of the free software world, and discuss free software advocacy and community in addition to tutorials and reviews of free software. There is also a community posts section which allows registered users to post similar blog-style pieces. The site also features a regular webcomic
"the Bizarre Cathedral".
originally created by the staff of FSM that posted summaries of articles about free software
. At first, it was based on Slash and was similar in nature to Slashdot.org. However, the project died before it could gain momentum, mainly because of the huge hardware resources required by Slash and the time constraints of the FSM staff.
The FSM website's blogs somewhat filled the gap that Free Software Daily originally planned to fill. But later, FS Daily came back, first as a Pligg based site, and then as a Drigg
site. Drigg was developed by Free Software Magazine's editor Tony Mobily specifically for FSDaily. However, Drigg is now available as a standard Drupal
module.
Although Free Software Magazine and Free Software Daily share similar motives and a common root, they are no longer directly connected.
attribution share-alike license.
Free software
Free software, software libre or libre software is software that can be used, studied, and modified without restriction, and which can be copied and redistributed in modified or unmodified form either without restriction, or with restrictions that only ensure that further recipients can also do...
.
It was started in November 2004 by Australian Tony Mobily, the former editor of TUX Magazine
Tux Magazine
Tux Magazine was a Linux magazine aimed at Linux desktop end users, specifically those who use the KDE desktop environment. Tux's mission was to help Linux take over the desktop market....
, under the auspices of The Open Company Partners, Inc. (based in the United States of America), and carried the subtitle The free magazine for the free software world.
History
FSM was originally conceived by its creator as a magazine to be sold in both print and electronic formats, with a higher signal-to-noise ratioSignal-to-noise ratio
Signal-to-noise ratio is a measure used in science and engineering that compares the level of a desired signal to the level of background noise. It is defined as the ratio of signal power to the noise power. A ratio higher than 1:1 indicates more signal than noise...
than mass-produced print Linux magazines. Under this model, the articles were freely licensed six weeks after the print edition's publication. As O'Reilly Media
O'Reilly Media
O'Reilly Media is an American media company established by Tim O'Reilly that publishes books and Web sites and produces conferences on computer technology topics...
's onLAMP.com noted, "several excellent magazines cover Linux, but they’re directed at particular subsets of Linux users and don’t have the broad mandate of Free Software Magazine."
However, the high costs of printing and postage resulted in the magazine moving to exclusively electronic publication via PDF
Portable Document Format
Portable Document Format is an open standard for document exchange. This file format, created by Adobe Systems in 1993, is used for representing documents in a manner independent of application software, hardware, and operating systems....
.
PDF version history
Initially a print-ready, hand-crafted PDF version was available for download. With Issue 16 (February 2007), this was withdrawn, with the publishers citing time and money constraints. As a result, the magazine is no longer available in print copy. This move sparked a harsh response from some members of the community. As a result, from March 2008, PDF and printer friendly version of articles and PDF versions of entire issues were made available to all logged-in users. These PDF files are created automatically using HTMLDOCHTMLDOC
HTMLDOC is a commercially developed open-source program that converts HTML web pages and files to indexed HTML, PostScript, and PDF files, complete with a table-of-contents and index...
and omit the styling and presentation of the print-ready ones.
Content
FSM devotes most of its context to LinuxLinux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
, the GNU Project
GNU Project
The GNU Project is a free software, mass collaboration project, announced on September 27, 1983, by Richard Stallman at MIT. It initiated GNU operating system development in January, 1984...
and free software in general, including articles about software freedom and how it can be protected. The issues had three main sections:
Power-up: Non-technical articles about various subjects (interviews, opinions, book reviews, etc.)
User space: Articles aimed at end users.
Hacker's code: Technical articles about what can be achieved with free software.
Most of the articles are released under a free license (generally a Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons licenses are several copyright licenses that allow the distribution of copyrighted works. The licenses differ by several combinations that condition the terms of distribution. They were initially released on December 16, 2002 by Creative Commons, a U.S...
or GNU Free Documentation License
GNU Free Documentation License
The GNU Free Documentation License is a copyleft license for free documentation, designed by the Free Software Foundation for the GNU Project. It is similar to the GNU General Public License, giving readers the rights to copy, redistribute, and modify a work and requires all copies and...
). Some articles are released under a verbatim-copying-only license.
In keeping with the move to more on-line content, FSM moved to blog-style columns where regular authors write on more political, philosophical and ethical aspects of the free software world, and discuss free software advocacy and community in addition to tutorials and reviews of free software. There is also a community posts section which allows registered users to post similar blog-style pieces. The site also features a regular webcomic
Webcomic
Webcomics, online comics, or Internet comics are comics published on a website. While many are published exclusively on the web, others are also published in magazines, newspapers or often in self-published books....
"the Bizarre Cathedral".
Free Software Daily
Free Software Daily (FS Daily) was a websiteWebsite
A website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...
originally created by the staff of FSM that posted summaries of articles about free software
Free software
Free software, software libre or libre software is software that can be used, studied, and modified without restriction, and which can be copied and redistributed in modified or unmodified form either without restriction, or with restrictions that only ensure that further recipients can also do...
. At first, it was based on Slash and was similar in nature to Slashdot.org. However, the project died before it could gain momentum, mainly because of the huge hardware resources required by Slash and the time constraints of the FSM staff.
The FSM website's blogs somewhat filled the gap that Free Software Daily originally planned to fill. But later, FS Daily came back, first as a Pligg based site, and then as a Drigg
Drigg
Drigg is a village situated in the civil parish of Drigg and Carleton on the West Cumbria coast of the Irish Sea and on the boundary of the Lake District National Park in the county of Cumbria, England....
site. Drigg was developed by Free Software Magazine's editor Tony Mobily specifically for FSDaily. However, Drigg is now available as a standard Drupal
Drupal
Drupal is a free and open-source content management system and content management framework written in PHP and distributed under the GNU General Public License. It is used as a back-end system for at least 1.5% of all websites worldwide ranging from personal blogs to corporate, political, and...
module.
Although Free Software Magazine and Free Software Daily share similar motives and a common root, they are no longer directly connected.
Free Software Magazine Press
In 2009 Free Software Magazine Press published their first book under the imprint of Free Software Magazine Press. The book, Achieving Impossible Things with Free Culture and Commons-Based Enterprise by Terry Hancock, was published both as a printed book and as a series of free articles released under a creative commonsCreative Commons
Creative Commons is a non-profit organization headquartered in Mountain View, California, United States devoted to expanding the range of creative works available for others to build upon legally and to share. The organization has released several copyright-licenses known as Creative Commons...
attribution share-alike license.
See also
- Linux JournalLinux JournalLinux Journal is a monthly technology magazine published by Belltown Media, Inc. of Houston, Texas. The magazine focuses specifically on Linux, allowing the content to be a highly specialized source of information for open source enthusiasts.-History:...
- Linux Weekly News
- Linux GazetteLinux GazetteThe Linux Gazette is a monthly self-published Linux computing webzine.-History:It was started in 1995 by John M. Fisk as a free service. He went on to pursue his studies and become a medical doctor. At Mr. Fisk's request, the publication was sponsored and managed by SSC...
- O3 MagazineO3 Magazineo3 Magazine is a monthly, free-content e-zine about free software and open source. It was started in November 2005.o3 Magazine is a monthly electronic publication focused on using open source technology in enterprise / business environments. o3 is published by Spliced Networks LLC. o3 magazine is...