Just because Linux is distributed for free, it doesn’t mean the software is not copyrighted. Linux has been registered as copyrighted under the GNU General Public License (GPL), which is known in the programming community as a copyleft instead of copyright because of its nature. The GPL allows you to redistribute the Linux software, along with the complete source code, to anyone who wants it. However, the original owner of the components retains the copyrights to the software.

Linux doesn’t have any kind of warranty. Even if you buy the Linux software from someone and pay them for maintenance, you cannot ever pursue the Linux programmers. They make no statement of functionality. If Linux destroys all your accounting or database data, it’s tough luck. You assume the risk. That having been said, Linux has proven itself very stable and no incidents of serious data damage have occurred as a result of its programming. However, if the chance that something may go wrong is too great a risk for your business, you may be better off buying a commercial UNIX system that does have a warranty.

According to the GNU GPL, you can even sell Linux. You can modify any of the code, and repackage it as you want. You do not own the software and cannot claim copyright, however, even if you have modified the source code. The GNU GPL also imposes one condition on the sale of Linux—you must provide all source code with the system if you sell it for profit so that others can further modify and sell it, too.

The authors and developers of Linux don’t receive any royalties or shareware fees. For the most part, they provide the software to end users for the true love of programming and sharing their code with other programmers who appreciate it.