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Talk to the GNUWin II Team
imevil writes "GNUWin II is a collection of Free Software for Windows, and it also includes articles about Free Software and explanation pages. It is multilingual (it was born as a Swiss product). You can browse the CD online or download the ISO from one of our mirrors. The GNUWin II team is ready to answer to your questions, about GNUWin II, and also about GNU Generation, the student association at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology of Lausanne who gave birth to the GNUWin project."
is not available
Those guys are really dedicated.
They don't GNU Win II Quit! LOL OMG WTF
kill me
Q20: Who's the chick in the pictures?
Welley Corporation - SLM Scammers
What was the hardest aspect of producing the GNUWin II CD? Was it selecting the software? Was it making sure the software worked okay (ie, were there any major portings issues, and if so, how much work did you have to do vs. how much did the developer do). Was it something else entirely?
Also, what criteria did you use to select the software? Did you consider which applications had a UI that Windows users would find more comfortable? Did you consider any programs that you weren't able to get running under Windows?
BTW, best of luck with the project. My father has been using the Win32 port of the GIMP for about two years now and loves it! As I type, he's (ab)using his work's net connection to d/l the ISOs.
This sig intentionally left bla... dammit!
Who's got the whiteout?
There's also the very nice cygwin. I suppose this is just a sort of distribution thing, but cygwin has actually been around for longer even than Linux has. Why the sudden need for other distributions of GNU tools for Windows, I wonder?
Windows is pretty easy to live with as it is.
I guess it depends on your paradigm... command-line commandos don't like the GUI's insulation, while GUI geeks hate remembering a bunch of bizarre program names.
Unless I'm missing the point - the only real failing of Win32 is that a lot of stuff can't be scripted because of the lack of a CLI. Does GNUWIN allow for some of this? Does it have hooks into system admin programs on Win32?
Product registration? Oh yeah, I forgot that the Gimp required you to register with them the first time you run, or the program will terminate. Oh wait. It doesn't. Silly you. *plonk*
By the way, SCO doesn't own anything on the Windows libraries these programs were compiled against to run on Windows. If they do, MS has probably already paid them the money and you therefore have nothing to worry about. It's a good thing this is just a troll, otherwise I'd have to laugh at your company's lawyers for being waaaay behind.
GNU/Windows
GNU/FSF is ran by RMS who feels that the world should be free, but GNU now wants to support the windows platform officially? If you can run these popular tools on windows will RMS be emailing windows and telling them to rename windows GNU/Windows?
Ignore the "p2p is theft" trolls, they're just uninformed
"GNUWin II is a collection of Free Software for Windows" :)
Looks like they missed something out
Last.fm - join the social music revolution
The site's moving at a crawl, so here's the FAQ and software list (what I just happen to have open when I noticed its slashdottedness):
...), typesetting software (LaTeX), calculus environments, games, ...
:
Q1: What is GNUWin II ?
R1: GNUWin-II is a free software distribution for MS-Windows. It includes a large spectrum of programs, notably a whole office suite (MS-Office compatible), Internet utilities, development tools (C, C++,
Q2: Who made GNUWin II ?
R2: GNUWin-II was made and is still being improved by GNU Generation, a team of students of the EPFL who promote free software and operating systems. It is a collaborative and voluntary project.
3: What is the purpose of GNUWin II ?
R3: The purpose of GNUWin-II is to help Windows users discover the free software and Open Source world. After using free software on MS-Windows, it is easier to migrate to a free operating system (GNU/Linux for instance), where the same programs are used.
Q4: How much does GNUWin II cost ?
R4: GNUWin II is free (as a "free beer"). The programs included on the CD are free software (here, free is to be understood as free in "free speech"). The edition work and HTML pages that contain GNUWin-II are themselves copyrighted under a free license.
Q5: Why GNUWin II and not GNUWin 98 ?
R5: Because GNUWin-II is the second version. The first one can be seen here. GNUWin is not a Microsoft product, and we do not count "3.1, 3.11, 95, 98, 2000" !
Q6: May I copy this CD ?
R6: Yes, you are encouraged to do so, and to distribute copies of this CD.
Q7: May I lend this CD to a friend ?
R7: Yes, you can give / lend / copy / distribute this CD as often as you want to.
Q8: Where can I get the licenses so that I can use the programs included on the CD ?
R8: You do not need to buy licenses, as all applications on the CD are free software or Open Source software.
Q9: May I use the programs included on this CD for professional or commercial purposes ?
R9: Yes you may. There are no restrictions on the use of the programs.
Q10: What is the difference between the programs included on this CD and freeware that can be found on the Internet ?
R10: Most freeware programs are "free" in the sense that they don't cost you money ("free" as in "free beer"). This is your only freedom. On top of this, these programs are often watered-down versions of commercial products (be it with limited functions or limited time of use). The programs that are included on this CD are "free" in all senses of the term : they are "costless", they are unlimited, you have the right to distribute them, and most important, their source code is freely available, and you may modify it to improve the program or fix bugs.
This ensures that the program will always be costless in the future, and allows to keep the program alive, even if its original developers lose their interest in it.
Q11: What is "source code" ?
R11: Source code is a text written in a programming language that was used to create the program. The source code is often kept secret by companies so that nobody can understand how the program works, nor check what it actually does. All programs on this CD are "Open Source", that is their source code is available; thus, everybody can improve, correct or check the program.
Q12: Where can I get the source code for the software included on this CD ?
R12: The source code is available on the Internet on the official program site. The link to the site in available at the description page of the program.
Q13: Can I install the programs included on this CD on my Macintosh computer ?
R13: No you cannot, for technical reasons, unless you have a PC emulator. There is already free software distribution for Macintosh, like fink. In addition, MacOS X can be turned into a full GNU system, using GNU/Darwin.
Q14: Can I install the programs included on this CD on my Linux/Unix computer ?
R14: No you cannot, for technical reasons, unless you have a MS-Windows emulator. But most of the programs included on this CD were initially developed for Unix or GNU/Linux. In this case, you can download the GNU/Linux version or the source code on the official site. The link to the program official site is available at the description page of the application.
Q15: Do I need to install Linux to use GNUWin-II ?
R15: No, you do not need to. On the other hand, most of the programs included on this CD were originally developed for GNU/Linux; if you want to migrate to Linux, you can go on using the same applications on the Linux platform.
Q16: What version of Windows is needed to run GNUWin-II programs ?
R16: GNUWin-II should not require any particular version. But we cannot test all applications on every available Windows version, and it might happen that some programs work badly, or even not at all, on some Windows version. Should this case arise, we would be grateful if you report the problem to us.
Q17: Who can I contact if I have questions or problems ?
R17: Please send an e-mail to gnuwin@listes.epfl.ch
Q18: Why is the XXX software not on GNUWin ?
R18: There might be several reasons for this
o The software might not be free. It's not enough for a software to be free of charge to be on GNUWin, the source code must also be available to the public.
o There might already be an application on GNUWin that has the same features. There is no need to have half a dozen of FTP clients, for instance.
o The software might have a very specific use. GNUWin is aimed at a wide public who have discovering free software, not at specialists.
Anyway, GNUWin also holds a list of links to similar projects that cannot be o n the CD itself, but deserve attention.
Q19: Why is software XXX on GNUWin even though it's not free software ?
R19: GNUWin promotes free software in the sense of the FSF, and advocates use of the GPL. However, we do claim our right to decide by ourselves whether or not an application is "free enough" to be part of GNUWin.
To be part of GNUWin, a software must be free to execute, the source code must be available freely and widely, and redistribution must be authorized without restriction. Freedom to distribute modified Source, although a valuable and esteemed feature, is not required. Thus you can find for instance Scilab and Povray on GNUWin.
--
Quick start:
* OpenOffice
* 7-Zip
* Mozilla
General purpose:
* The Gimp
* Zinf
* X-Tractor
* HTTrack
* WinJab
* Sylpheed
Engineer:
* MiKTeX
* Dia
* GnuPlot
* R
* Scilab
* Maxima
* PuTTY
* HTTrack
* GPG
Developper
* SciTE, Vim or XEmacs
* GNAT Ada Compiler or Mingv32 or Python
* MySQL
* HTTrack
* GTK+ or Simple Direct Media Layer or wxPython
* Inno Setup
* MiKTeX
Kids:
* TuxPaint
* TuxType
* Jump'n'bump
* TuxRacer
Webmaster:
* Apache
* MySQL
* Python
* The Gimp
* iXplorer
* PuTTY
* CatFish
--
http://nemilar.net - Not your grandmother's soup kitchen
I was a hardcore Windows developer. I downloaded a lot of free software, started to like the open source concept, and now I have Linux installed on both my home computers and I write open source apps. I just wanted to say that open source on Windows is a good thing, even for the Linux community.
"It's GNU/Win and no GNUWin"
DVD Ripping, Divx, VCD, SVCD under Linux
Except that this is an interview.
See you, space cowboy...
I have set up us the Google cache of every page. Just keep clicking 'next' to view each page of their site in various languages.
g nuwin.epfl.ch/en/&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&safe =off&start=10&sa=N
http://www.google.com/search?q=link:codwwioy63YC:
Reply or e-mail; don't vaguely moderate. Ex-O'Reilly/MIT employee, now a full-time Google employee.
wtf dude, he's only calling you a troll to wind you up. yhbt.
Does my bum look big in this?
GNU Win II is an excellete project. Good job guys! Also, check out The Open CD as well.
www.theopencd.org
Karma: The shiznight, mostly because I am the Drizzle.
Thi Ngoc Tu Ho
but you can check out all the The GNUWin Team
at http://gnuwin.epfl.ch/en/credits.html
As most of us are Linux users it is difficult for us to test new applications.
Why develop apps for Windows then?
"In the past year, we've seen a lot of attempts by companies to make a profit by selling mixed open and closed source software. Lindows and CrossOver spring to mind. How do you, both personally and as a representative of the EFF, react to this trend? Is it beneficial to the Free Software Movement in the short and long term?"
---- By tps12, one of the best Slashdot members of all time
Reply or e-mail; don't vaguely moderate. Ex-O'Reilly/MIT employee, now a full-time Google employee.
anyone know if any of those sites offer rsync access?
Windows already runs more software then linux.
People who use windows often pirate copies of commercial software so they don't need or want open source software.
Even if a an open source software was clearly superior to a windows equivalent (zope, apache, postgres etc) why make it so that it runs on windows. Aren't you discouraging people from using linux by doing that?
War is necrophilia.
I don't consider myself a moron, i have some experience on sco-unix, and lots on novell. Plus I would like think I know just about everything bout microsoft products, but please read above, i have plenty experience on non-ms products. While not a knee-jerk ms basher, I do think that many unix and/or novell products do indeed perform better than the comparable ms product. Disclaimer (above) aside...
The dumb question of the day is: how and why does such a thing affect my life, as both a network engineer as and an IT manager who has to worry about the bottom line? Trying not to be flamebait, I dont care if i get modded as such, but I do not understand the 'function' of all of this. I would appreciate if someone would break this down for me in simpleton terms (gnu for dummies in a nice yellow book cover) Once again, not trying to be a troll, just trying to improve my knowledge...
Linus: "Design is
like a religion - too much of it makes you inflexibly and unpopular."
Could you please provide some concrete details? Basically just tell us all which programs are affected and why (what copyrights or patents of SCOs are involved)? Unless and until you do I can only imagine you will end up modded as "Troll" and not "Informative" because what you are saying is not a popular idea and it is the sort of thing which will get people all heated up!
Never underestimate the dark side of the Source
The funny thing is I haven't seen a single question yet.
Ok, I won't be useless. Here's a question.
Who makes the decisions about what software gets onto the CD? Have you thought about putting WinLinux on there to intice people who might be thinking of "crossing over"?
Ok, 2 questions.
Jaysyn
There is a war going on for your mind.
This is just stupid. There's no way SCO has the
access to that kind of information. And they
wouldn't have your mailing address anyway.
And it would be a defense that you were lied to
when you downloaded the software that you were told
the software was public domain, if when you found
out it wasn't, you deleted or stopped using the downloaded software. I just assumed this was a joke
when i read it and laughed. I can't believe this is being
taken seriously by anyone.
Do you have, or would you consider adding, a voluntary popularity rating system for the programs on your CD? I'm thinking of the likes of the debian popularity-contest which tracks which programs are installed (and how often they're used I think) to decide what programs should be included on which CD of their release. It would also help for the Linux (BSD, any other FreeOS you care to name) community as they could see which programs Windows people like and therefore can help most in bringing them across from Win to Lin.
Never underestimate the dark side of the Source
GNUWin does Not use SCO libraries.
There is no liability to SCO.
There is no registration.
Nobody is tracking you.
--------
Some legacy SCO applications were ported to Linux using SCO libraries. Those are the ones with legal libabilities. GNUWin did not do that.
I have to agree.
The parent also makes the mistake that just because something is Open Source, that is has to run on Linux. Open source is open source and open source that runs on a proprietary system is still a good thing. One could argue that you shouldn't be using a proprietary system in the first place, but that's not relevant to the question of whether open source programs should be developed for use on proprietary systems.
If you don't expose users to open source programs, then how can they ever become supporters of open source? If all you use is proprietary software, you won't know that there are other options.
Please mod this post only if you think others should/n't read this. I have enough ego^H^H^Hkarma. Thanks!
By downloading a Windows program, it might be dependant on something else that I don't have.
:)
I'm sorry dude. I don't know what your talking about, and sorry to say, I have a feeling that neither do you.
I must have downloaded/purchased hundrerds of Windows apps over the years and I have NEVER, let me say that again, NEVER found myself in a situation where I had to go "get" something to make that application run.
Forgive my ignorance, but is this "apt-get" a common task on the Linux desktop?
Believe me dude, I'm a computer pro. I develop for a living. I'm a big advocate of open-source, I like Linux/Apache/MySQL/PHP on the servers but the Linux desktop is not ready for prime-time. Keep up the good work though
Congrats on getting a post with many zeros.
Unlike Linux, though, when you do go searching Usenet for info about BSD, you don't have to sift through a thousand posts by kiddies to find a good one.
Someone set us up the google?
And that's just one example.
So you have others?
"super coolness"
That sounds like a Microsoft marketing term used to target MTV viewers. "Windows Media Player: Get lost in it's super coolness and DRM."
And I think this is one aspect that many Linux people miss. MS, and many other OS makers provide a very large base of things that make up the OS. Windows provides a kernal, a multitiude of APIs, a LCI, a GUI, scripting support, a web browser, media playback, and so on and so forth, all as part of the OS. MacOS is much the same, as are some UNIX distributions. Linux is a very differnet philsophy. The kernal is the only thing that makes Linux what it is. Everything else is optionally added by distribution makers. There are some conventions (like that X is the basis for the GUI) but they aren't required, just what most people do.
This is two very different design philsophies and why Windows or MacOS will never have the customization of Linux, and indeed shouldn't. Microsoft and Apple want to provide a gaurentee of more services being available so that when someone buys Windows or MAcOS or writes a program for it, they know these tools and services are available to them. Linux chooses not to do this and rather allows people an almost infinite felxability.
Neither way is the right way to do it. For it's felxibility LInux trandes standardizaiton, and suffers compatibility problems because of it. For it's comatibility and standards, Windows suffers felxibility because of it.
Linux is great and all, but you really wind up with an incohesive jumble of software, each developed in it's own little bubble with no knowledge of the others. If your lucky you can get an integer return value to tie it all together.
There are places where the networks are not touching,and there are places where they are-Boeing's Lori Gunter
While the goal of this project might be commendable, I can't possibly see it becoming more than a novelty.
The package includes some great software, that should appeal to some people, like OpenOffice. For developers, it also includes some nice tools, like Cygwin, MinGW32, Python, Apache, MySQL, VIM and XEmacs.
The problem is: most of this collection seems to be a compilation with software of little or no interest to most people, like Litestep, XBill, NetHack, Blat and the Mesa Demos.
Another problem is that some of the software doesn't really match up to it's native Windows counterparts. The GIMP may be free, but it lacks the general usability and documentation of Photoshop or even Paint Shop Pro.
To sum up: there is some good software in this compilation, there are some rotten eggs - like most of the games, and there is an general lack of direction for the compilation.
http://virtuelvis.com/
-------------
Information on the ISO image Version 2.1 is now (december 11 2002) available as an iso image. It is now in spanish as well!
Please note: Version 2.1 does not fit on a 650MB/74min CD-R! You need to burn it on a 700MB/80min CD-R. Currently available mirrors
- ftp://sunsite.cnlab-switch.ch/mirror/gnuwin/
- http://sunsite.cnlab-switch.ch/ftp/mirror/gnuwin/
- http://ftp.heanet.ie/mirrors/gnuwin.epfl.ch/iso/
- http://www.pctip.ch/downloads/dl/22197.asp
- http://gd.tuwien.ac.at/gnu/gnuwin2/iso/
- ftp://gd.tuwien.ac.at/gnu/gnuwin2/iso/
- ftp://ftp.is.co.za/mirrors/GnuWin/
- http://ftp.u-strasbg.fr/windows/gnuwin/
- http://khazad.dyndns.org/pub/win32/
- http://gnuwin.epfl.ch/iso/
We are looking for new mirrorsWe would appreciate new mirrors, especially outside Europe. Thanks to several European Mirrors the load of our server has drastically dropped, but is still very impressive. Have a look at the stats: http://mapc77.epfl.ch/gnu-generation/statistics/gn uwin/
So if you have 650MB spare on a fast server we would be happy if you could mirror the ISO image.
We appreciate links to our siteLink to us if you find GNUWin II useful. Also talk about it to your friends, famlily and of course on the internet.
I wonder if the Scrolling Game Development Kit will ever make it on to one of these CDs. Do they regularly scour SourceForge for highly active windows projects?
... see? unsuccessful ;) ... perhaps because that's exactly what it is. Oh well.
D'oh... you now see me unsuccessfully scrambling for any way to convince you that this post was anything but an invitation or "ad" to visit the site -- and shameless self-promotion. But really -- it's on topic!
To anyone waiting for Cygwin/XFree86 (the free X Server for Windows) to support a multi-windowing mode, the wait is over:
r ee 86-multiwindow.png
http://xfree86.cygwin.com/screenshots/cygwin-xf
People do not buy operating systems, generally. People buy applications, and then buy whatever operating system is needed to run the application. In particular, most people don't care if Windows or GNU/Linux is "better". The primary thing most people want to know is which one runs the applications they need. For example, they want to know what runs Word, or at least, which one can read and edit Word files easily. And once they start using a set of applications, they don't want to immediately switch to a different set of applications - especially since some may be home-built and require some time to re-develop. People are willing to make slow transitions, but massive all-at-once transitions are risky and painful.
Thus, if you want users already using a proprietary operating system to switch to GNU/Linux, you're better off first getting them to use OSS/FS applications on whatever operating system they're currently using. A user who uses Windows with Internet Explorer, Outlook, and Microsoft Word will usually not be willing to instantaneously switch to the Linux kernel, Mozilla, and Open Office; the time to do the transition is quite painful. But a Windows user is probably willing to try out Mozilla - the pain is quite low. Installing Open Office is not risky.. and look at the money they save (if they aren't pirating, which is becoming more dangerous due to the BSA etc.).
This has already happened, for example, with the compiler suite gcc. For many years gcc only ran on proprietary operating systems. But because it was freely available for those proprietary systems, and was a good product, people increasingly used gcc. Increasingly, code was written that required the gcc compiler, or at least was only known to work with it. Once an OSS/FS kernel became available, developers were more willing to switch to it... because their application (gcc) was already running on it.
Imagine that more and more users begin to install Open Office because it cost less than the proprietary alternatives (Word Perfect, Microsoft Office). Now imagine that they send their documents to other people. Those other people will be incentivized to also use Open Office, in part because it's the safest approach (no concerns of subtle incompatibilities) and it's easy (there's no harm in loading both Open Office and Microsoft Office on the same system). Then, due to network effects, more & more people do this; I suspect this effect would be especially strong in less developed countries, where there is just no money for proprietary products, Microsoft's products are less firmly established (in some cases), Microsoft is viewed with suspicion, and where recent trade agreements (e.g., efforts to join the WTO) makes it slightly more dangerous to pirate. Now imagine a place where most people using Microsoft Windows also use Open Office, and many use Mozilla, at least some times. They may not have considered using GNU/Linux before, but suddenly you've greatly eased transition. And each step made sense to the user: they added Open Office due to price or due to compatibility with other users, and then could switch to GNU/Linux for the same reason.
Indeed, this group should encourage the Business Software Alliance (BSA)'s enforcement actions, especially in other countries. The BSA's tactics are often reprehensible, in particular the BSA's presumption that organizations are guilty until proven innocent (even though, in many cases, the problem is simply that some licensing paperwork has been lost). But that can work to the advantage of anyone recommending that OSS/FS be considered. Imagine an organization presented with these options: (1) use the current application software, whose rental agreements are getting costlier and which they'll have to carefully track (or be subject to stiff fines), (2) new application software that is a "work-alike" and doesn't require them to throw away their operating systems (as well as all the specialized programs built on that operating system), or (3) replacing all operating systems and all applications all at once. Option 3 is completely impractical, but option 1 is getting expensive enough to make option 2 worth considering.
I expect the name of this CD will have to change, or they'll have to remove a few of the products. The FSF certainly permits its programs to run on proprietary operating systems - indeed, for many years they ran only on proprietary systems - I'm sure they won't want the name "GNU" (the key FSF project) associated with some programs that don't meet the "Free Software" definition. According to the web site, some applications don't permit redistribution of modified programs, and that fundamentally contradicts the FSF definition of "Free Software". But this won't be hard to fix, really - just remove a few programs (none of the most critical ones) or change the name.
- David A. Wheeler (see my Secure Programming HOWTO)
The LUG I occaisionally attend also takes a dim view of stealing software. They basically tore a mailing list poster a new poop chute for defending some warezing he was doing. Ditto on the typical LUG reaction to copyright infringement.
LUGs are largely polpulated by sysadmins, programmers, technical managers and highly computer literate users. I don't think the higher respect for software licensing comes from greater intelligence. It comes from a higher awareness of the issues around licensing. A sysadmin who doesn't want warez showing up on HIS network is going to take a dim view of stolen software. Ditto for anyone who has spent more than an hour worrying about licensing.
It is also the flip side of the outrage these people feel when a high profile GPL violater is outed. How can we expect the likes of MS and Adobe to respect (phobic paranoia in MS' case) our licences if we don't respect theirs? Linux users also often feel that draconian licensing terms are Linux' best advocates. If users can just steal software for whatever reason then why try out the free stuff?
I am vary confused to what movement GNU/Win falles under besuse Free Software and Open Source are 2 vary differ movements. With 2 vary differ licenses. Here is what brought my confusion. Q8: Where can I get the licenses so that I can use the programs included on the CD ? R8: You do not need to buy licenses, as all applications on the CD are free software or Open Source software. Q11: What is "source code" ? R11: Source code is a text written in a programming language that was used to create the program. The source code is often kept secret by companies so that nobody can understand how the program works, nor check what it actually does. All programs on this CD are "Open Source", that is their source code is available; thus, everybody can improve, correct or check the program.
Once upon a time, there existed a file.exe which would examine the headers of a given file and spit out what type of file it was: mp3, executable, mpeg, etc. This seems to have disappeared from both my computer and the net. I haven't been able to find it in any of these GNU-Win type collections. Anyone have it?
I will now unveil the website you've all been waiting for... Tribute To The GNUWinII Chick
What makes a man want to be a mouse? (Python's Flying Circus)