What is open source?

It’s very simple - the licence is what determines whether software is open source

The licence must be approved by the Open Source Initiative (www.opensource.org)

All approved licences meet their Open Source Definition (www.opensource.org/docs/definition.php)

Approved licences >50 and include the GPL, LGPL, MPL and BSD.

And in practical terms?

Open source means:

The source code is available to the end-user

The source code can be modified by the end-user

The licensing conditions promote re-use and wide availability of the software

The cost of acquisition to the end-user is often minimal

Open source software is not the same as free software but there is a large overlap

``Open source is a development methodology; free software is a social movement.'’

The Free software Foundation maintains a Free Software Definition (www.fsf.org)

Do I need a beard and sandals?

Don’t I need to be a hacker with a beard to use open source software?

No. It’s a popular myth that open source is only for hackers.

But is open source really in the mainstream?

Yes. Apache, an open source product, is the most widely used web server.

Many organizations from governments to commercial companies rely on open source software every day.

What is open source?

Elena Blanco

2006-05-16T14:16:57