WHAT IS OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE IN A NUTSHELL?
I need to know this because I have to write a paper on it, I read several articles on it but seem to get varied answers. Can someone tell me what it is, kind of dumb it down if you can.
Open source software is software that has been written and released under a license that allows the software to be redistributed, modified, or have derivative works created from it with little or no legal restrictions. Open source software is usually distributed free of charge, though there are companies that sell it as well. Such sales usually involve support contracts, where the company supplies technical support and expertise in the particular software packages they sell.
3 Comments »
JIM said :
May 20, 2009 at 3:19 am
Free software
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Fjandr said :
May 20, 2009 at 3:38 am
Open source software is software that has been written and released under a license that allows the software to be redistributed, modified, or have derivative works created from it with little or no legal restrictions. Open source software is usually distributed free of charge, though there are companies that sell it as well. Such sales usually involve support contracts, where the company supplies technical support and expertise in the particular software packages they sell.
References :
elven_rangers said :
May 20, 2009 at 3:39 am
Open Source software is that software which has it's source code free to get and study. That's the nutshell.
It's not the same as free software. Free software means you can download an executable and use it, but that doesn't mean the source code is also available for fee or that that source code is accessible for modification by anyone. Also, open source doesn't mean that you can get an executable application and use it for fee, it only means you can take a peek at the source code and learn (sometimes even modify it).
also, there are many types of open source licenses:
- there are licenses that allow read-only access to source code, but you still have to pay if you want to download the executable application (it's free only if you compile the code on your own). This is NOT free software, but it's still open source.
- there are licenses which allow free access to both the source and the executable application, but prevent you from selling: if you get the source code and compile it, you must distribute the result as freely as the way you got it.
- etc, etc, many others.
Today, most open source software is also free software, but it doesn't mean the two are equivalent always.
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