Probably the best feature of Linux and the GNU utilities in general and Red Hat Linux in particular is that it is distributable under the terms of the GNU Public License (GPL). This feature has allowed research institutions, universities, commercial enterprises, and hackers, to develop and use Red Hat Linux and related technologies co-operatively without fear that their work would someday be controlled and restricted by a commercial vendor.
In short, the GPL changes the model of software development and distribution
to one much like the model our Legal system and its industry uses. If a
lawyer designs an argument that wins his case in front of the supreme court
his reward is not only the fees his client pays him but also the additional
clients that his achievement attracts to his practice. The ``argument'' he
used becomes available for any other lawyer to use without restriction, and
in fact becomes part of our collective legal heritage.
This new model is already a new industry with companies like Cygnus Support
(see http://www.cygnus.com) becoming multi-million dollar enterprises
on the basis
of providing support and services for large commercial users of GPL'd and
other ``freely distributable'' software. Red Hat Software, Inc.'s rapid
growth is based, similarly, on our development and support of the Red Hat
Linux distribution, a product that we distribute worldwide on CD and over
the Internet under the terms of the GPL.