Open Source Software

What is Open Source Software ?

Open Source Software is software that is supplied with full source code.

The definition of Open Source as given by the Open Source Initiative http://www.opensource.org is as follows:


Free Redistribution: anyone can sell or give away the software as part of a distribution without requiring a fee

Source Code: the program must include un-obfuscated source code and must allow distribution in source code as well as compiled form

Derived Works: the license must allow modifications and derived works, and must allow them to be distributed under the same terms as the license of the original software.

Integrity of the Author's Source Code: The license may restrict source-code from being distributed in modified form only if the license allows the distribution of "patch files" with the source code

No Discrimination Against Persons or Groups

No Discrimination Against Fields of Endeavor: freedom to use it for any purpose

Distribution of License The rights attached to the program must apply to all to whom the program is redistributed

License Must Not Be Specific to a Product: the rights attached to the program must not depend on the being part of a particular software distribution

The License Must Not Restrict Other Software: the license must not place restrictions on other software distributed along with it

License must be Technology-Neutral

Basics

The basic principle is that users must be provided with, or have easy access to, the source code of the software and be allowed to modify that code for their own and other people's use. Of the various licenses available, the most popular is the GNU General Public License (usually called the GPL) by the Free Software Foundation (FSF). Richard Stallman started the GNU project in 1984 and founded the FSF in 1985.

GPL is not the only open source license. Here's a list of OSI approved licenses

Why is Open Source Software important ?

The basic idea behind open source is very simple: when programmers can read, redistribute, and modify the source code for a piece of software, the software evolves. People improve it, people adapt it, people fix bugs.

How can Open Source Software flourish when it's free ?

OSS is developed by a large community. Without the Internet it probably wouldn't exist. Making money with OSS is done in different ways than with the usual commercial software: through publications, books, support, training, installation, donations etc.

Although many Open Source applications are free, as in available without cost, the ideas behind Open Source Software focus mainly on being free, as in freedom.

Benefits over closed source software ?

The following benefits of OSS are not necessarily true in all cases but are being used by the open source community to promote Open Source Software

Open Source applications everyone knows ;-)

Other successful Open Source applications

Open content: Creative Commons

Creative Commons provides free tools that let authors, scientists, artists and educators easily mark their creative work with the freedoms they want it to carry