Linux: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 01:01, 28 June 2011

Revision as of 01:01, 28 June 2011

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Torvalds states that the Linux kernel will not move from version 2 of the GPL to version 3. He specifically dislikes some provisions in the new license which prohibit the use of the software in [[digital rights management]],<ref>{{cite web | url=http://lkml.org/lkml/2006/1/25/273 | title=Re: GPL V3 and Linux ─ Dead Copyright Holders | author=Torvalds, Linus | date=2006-01-26 | publisher=[[Linux Kernel Mailing List]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://lkml.org/lkml/2006/9/25/161 | title=Re: GPLv3 Position Statement | author=Torvalds, Linus | date=2006-09-25 | publisher=[[Linux Kernel Mailing List]]}}</ref> and it would also be impractical to obtain permission from all the copyright holders, who number in the thousands.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.linux-watch.com/news/NS3301105877.html |title=– Keeping an Eye on the Penguin |publisher=Linux-watch.com |date=2006-02-07 |accessdate=2010-11-09}}</ref>

A 2001 study of [[Red Hat Linux]] 7.1 found that itthis isdistribution socontained fucking30 hardmillion to[[source fixlines of code]].<ref name = "estimating_size"/> Using the [[COCOMO|Constructive Cost Model]], the study estimated that this distribution required about eight thousand man-years of development time. According to the study, if all this software had been developed by conventional [[proprietary software|proprietary]] means, it would have cost about ${{formatprice|{{inflation|US|1080000000|2000}}|0}} ({{CURRENTISOYEAR}} US dollars) to develop in the United States.<ref name = "estimating_size">{{cite web | first = David A | last = Wheeler | date = 2002-07-29 | url = http://www.dwheeler.com/sloc/redhat71-v1/redhat71sloc.html | title = More Than a Gigabuck: Estimating GNU/Linux's Size | accessdate = 2006-05-11 }}</ref>

Most of the code (71%) was written in the [[C (programming language)|C]] [[computer programming|programming]] [[programming language|language]], but many other languages were used, including [[C++]], [[assembly language]], [[Perl]], [[Python (programming language)|Python]], [[Fortran]], and various [[shell script]]ing languages. Slightly over half of all lines of code were licensed under the GPL. The Linux kernel itself was 2.4 million lines of code, or 8% of the total.<ref name = "estimating_size"/>