Freedom, freedom...

By Mitch Meyran

Online on: 31/08/2006

A few years ago, when you wanted to use a GNU/Linux distribution for
your desktop computer, you still needed to concede a part of your
freedom to open some PDF files, run most Java programs, or all Flash
animations.

Not anymore.
Several steps closer to a fully free system

Java

Right now, the most used version of Java (and therefore, the most
targeted by free implementations) is 1.4.2, even though 1.5 has been
out for two years now.

With gcc 4, a JVM was added to the existing Java support. Strong with
existing free implementations (such as kaffe), this support rapidly
reached 75% of compatibility between gcj and Sun's JVM.

Right now it stands at 99.75%.

Thanks to what? Maybe the strong reliance of Openoffice.org 2 upon
Java... As a result, a very compatible JVM is now available. Flash

Flash support has always been sporadic under GNU/Linux systems. While
it's gotten better with the release of Flash 7 and Flash 9 being
developed concurrently for win32, MacOS and GNU/Linux...

Gnash is, right now, the only way for someone using a 64-bit browser to
enjoy Flash animations.

And it actually works quite well - its use of OpenGL can even make it a
bit more fluid under X. Acrobat

Adobe and Apple created a very nice format: PostScript, and
encapsulated it nicely: Portable Document Format. They went as far as
opening the specs on the file format, and provided a readily
downloadable viewer for a large variety of platforms.

Ghostscript can now render pretty much every PDF 1.4 file out there.
A full desktop?

I've been complaining about the lack of free 3D support under X; it was
time I said something nice about what most people working with
computers use everyday... Copyright information

This blog entry is (C) Copyright, Mitch Meyran, 2004-2006. Unless a
different license is specified in the entry's body, the following
license applies: "Verbatim copying and distribution of this entire
article is permitted in any medium without royalty provided this notice
is preserved and appropriate attribution information (author, original
site, original URL) is included".

http://www.freesoftwaremagazine.com/node/1742