Freespire facts for kids
Freespire's desktop without any changes.
|
|
| Company / developer | Linspire, Inc. and the Freespire community. |
|---|---|
| OS family | Linux |
| Source model | GPL |
| Latest stable release | 2.0.8 / November 30, 2007 |
| Available language(s) | English |
| Kernel type | Monolithic |
| Default user interface | KDE |
| License | GPL with proprietary components |
| Official website | http://www.freespire.org/ |
Freespire was a special computer operating system, much like Windows or macOS. It was built using parts from Linux and another popular system called Ubuntu.
The main idea behind Freespire was to make it simple for people to use "free software." This kind of software lets you use, change, and share it without many rules. However, Freespire also gave users the choice to add "non-free" parts. These could be special programs, drivers (which help your computer talk to its parts), or codecs (which help play videos and music).
Freespire was also the base for another computer system called Linspire. Linspire was a commercial (meaning it was sold for money) version of Linux.
Contents
What is Freespire?
Freespire was a type of Linux distribution. Think of a Linux distribution as a complete package of the Linux operating system, along with other programs and tools. It's like a ready-to-use version of Linux that you can install on your computer.
Why was Freespire created?
Freespire was made to solve a common problem. Many people wanted to use free and open-source software, but they also needed some specific programs or drivers that were not "free." For example, some video games or special hardware might need non-free drivers to work correctly. Freespire tried to offer the best of both worlds. It gave you the freedom of open-source software but also the option to add these extra, non-free parts if you needed them.
Who developed Freespire?
Freespire was developed by a company called Linspire, Inc. They worked together with a group of people from the Freespire community. This community included many volunteers who helped improve the system.
Freespire and other systems
Freespire had close ties to two other important computer systems: Ubuntu and Linspire.
How Freespire used Ubuntu
Freespire was built using parts from Ubuntu. Ubuntu is a very popular and easy-to-use Linux distribution. By using Ubuntu as its base, Freespire could benefit from all the hard work and improvements already made in Ubuntu. This helped Freespire be stable and have many features.
The connection to Linspire
Freespire was like the "community" version of Linspire. Linspire was a commercial Linux system that you had to pay for. Freespire was free to download and use. Linspire used the work done on Freespire to create its own paid version. This allowed Linspire to offer a product to customers while still supporting the free software community.
See also
In Spanish: Freespire para niños
