What is open source software


Open source software

Open-source software is computer softwareindividuals at the session included Todd
whose source code is available under aAnderson, Larry Augustin, John Hall, Sam
license (or arrangement such as the publicOckman, Christine Peterson and Eric S.
domain) that permits users to study, change,Raymond. They used the opportunity before the
and improve the software, and to redistributerelease of Navigator's source code to clarify
it in modified or unmodified form. It isa potential confusion caused by the ambiguity
often developed in a public, collaborativeof the word "free" in English. The 'open
manner. It is the most prominent example ofsource' movement is generally thought to have
open source development and often compared tobegun with this strategy session. Many
user  generated  content.people, nevertheless, claimed that the birth
of the Internet, since 1969, started the open
In 1998, a group of individuals advocatedsource movement, while others do not
that the term free software be replaced bydistinguish between open source and free
open source software (OSS) as an expressionsoftware  movements.
which is less ambiguous and more comfortable
for the corporate world. Software developersThe Free Software Foundation (FSF), started
may want to publish their software with anin 1985, intended the word 'free' to mean
open source software license, so that anybody"free as in free speech" and not "free as in
may also develop the same software orfree beer." Since a great deal of free
understand how it works. Open source softwaresoftware already was (and still is) free of
generally allows anybody to make a newcharge, such free software became associated
version of the software, port it to newwith zero cost, which seemed anti-commercial.
operating systems and processor
architectures, share it with others or marketThe Open Source Initiative (OSI) was formed
it. The aim of open source is to let thein February 1998 by Eric S. Raymond and Bruce
product be more understandable, modifiable,Perens. With at least 20 years of evidence
duplicatable, reliable or simply accessible,from case histories of closed development
while  it  is  still  marketable.versus open development already provided by
the Internet, the OSI presented the 'open
The Open Source Definition, notably, presentssource' case to commercial businesses, like
an open-source philosophy, and furtherNetscape. The OSI hoped that the usage of the
defines a boundary on the usage, modificationlabel "open source," a term suggested by
and redistribution of open-source software.Peterson of the Foresight Institute at the
Software licenses grant rights to users whichstrategy session, would eliminate ambiguity,
would otherwise be prohibited by copyright.particularly for individuals who perceive
These include rights on usage, modification"free software" as anti-commercial. They
and redistribution. Several open-sourcesought to bring a higher profile to the
software licenses have qualified within thepractical benefits of freely available source
boundary of the Open Source Definition. Thecode, and they wanted to bring major software
most prominent example is the popular GNUbusinesses and other high-tech industries
General Public License (GPL). While openinto open source. Perens attempted to
source presents a way to broadly make theregister "open source" as a service mark for
sources of a product publicly accessible, thethe OSI, but that attempt was impractical by
open-source licenses allow the authors totrademark standards. Meanwhile, thanks to the
fine  tune  such  access.presentation of Raymond's paper to the upper
management at Netscape (Raymond only
The "open source" label came out of adiscovered when he read the Press Release,
strategy session held in Palo Alto inand was called by Netscape CEO Jim
reaction to Netscape's January 1998Barksdale's PA later in the day), Netscape
announcement of a source code release forreleased its Navigator source code as open
Navigator (as Mozilla). A group ofsource, with favorable results.



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