Open source

Open source is source code that is made freely available for possible modification and redistribution. Products include permission to use the source code,[1] design documents,[2] or content of the product. It most commonly refers to the open-source model, in which open-source software or other products are released under an open-source license as part of the open-source-software movement. Use of the term originated with software, but has expanded beyond the software sector to cover other open content and forms of open collaboration.

For other uses, see Open source (disambiguation). Not to be confused with Open access.

Origins

The term "open source", as used to describe software, was first proposed by a group of people in the free software movement who were critical of the political agenda and moral philosophy implied in the term "free software" and sought to reframe the discourse to reflect a more commercially minded position.[3] Moreover, the ambiguity of the term "free software" was seen as discouraging business adoption.[4][5] The group included Christine Peterson, Todd Anderson, Larry Augustin, Jon Hall, Sam Ockman, Michael Tiemann and Eric S. Raymond. Peterson suggested "open source" at a meeting[6] held at Palo Alto, California, in reaction to Netscape's announcement in January 1998 of a source code release for Navigator. Linus Torvalds gave his support the following day, and Phil Hughes backed the term in Linux Journal. Richard Stallman, the founder of the free software movement, initially seemed to adopt the term, but later changed his mind.[6][7] Netscape released its source code under the Netscape Public License and later under the Mozilla Public License.[8]

Raymond was especially active in the effort to popularize the new term. He made the first public call to the free software community to adopt it in February 1998.[9] Shortly after, he founded The Open Source Initiative in collaboration with Bruce Perens.[6]

The term gained further visibility through an event organized in April 1998 by technology publisher Tim O'Reilly. Originally titled the "Freeware Summit" and later known as the "Open Source Summit",[10] the event was attended by the leaders of many of the most important free and open-source projects, including Linus Torvalds, Larry Wall, Brian Behlendorf, Eric Allman, Guido van Rossum, Michael Tiemann, Paul Vixie, Jamie Zawinski, and Eric Raymond. At the meeting, alternatives to the term "free software" were discussed. Tiemann advocated "sourceware" as a new term, while Raymond argued for "open source". The assembled developers took a vote, and the winner was announced at a press conference the same evening.[10]

Many large formal institutions have sprung up to support the development of the open-source software movement, including the Apache Software Foundation, which supports community projects such as the open-source framework Apache Hadoop and the open-source HTTP server Apache HTTP.

The open-source model and open collaboration
Main article: Open-source model

The open-source model is a decentralized software development model that encourages open collaboration,[11][12] meaning "any system of innovation or production that relies on goal-oriented yet loosely coordinated participants who interact to create a product (or service) of economic value, which they make available to contributors and noncontributors alike."[11] A main principle of open-source software development is peer production, with products such as source code, blueprints, and documentation freely available to the public. The open-source movement in software began as a response to the limitations of proprietary code. The model is used for projects such as in open-source appropriate technology,[13] and open-source drug discovery.[14][15]

The open-source model for software development inspired the use of the term to refer to other forms of open collaboration, such as in Internet forums,[16] mailing lists[17] and online communities.[18] Open collaboration is also thought to be the operating principle underlining a gamut of diverse ventures, including TEDx and Wikipedia.[19]

Open collaboration is the principle underlying peer production, mass collaboration, and wikinomics.[11] It was observed initially in open source software, but can also be found in many other instances, such as in Internet forums,[16] mailing lists,[17] Internet communities,[18] and many instances of open content, such as Creative Commons. It also explains some instances of crowdsourcing, collaborative consumption, and open innovation.[20]

Riehle et al. define open collaboration as collaboration based on three principles of egalitarianism, meritocracy, and self-organization.[21] Levine and Prietula define open collaboration as "any system of innovation or production that relies on goal-oriented yet loosely coordinated participants who interact to create a product (or service) of economic value, which they make available to contributors and noncontributors alike." [11] This definition captures multiple instances, all joined by similar principles. For example, all of the elements — goods of economic value, open access to contribute and consume, interaction and exchange, purposeful yet loosely coordinated work — are present in an open source software project, in Wikipedia, or in a user forum or community. They can also be present in a commercial website that is based on user-generated content. In all of these instances of open collaboration, anyone can contribute and anyone can freely partake in the fruits of sharing, which are produced by interacting participants who are loosely coordinated.

An annual conference dedicated to the research and practice of open collaboration is the International Symposium on Wikis and Open Collaboration (OpenSym, formerly WikiSym).[22] As per its website, the group defines open collaboration as "collaboration that is egalitarian (everyone can join, no principled or artificial barriers to participation exist), meritocratic (decisions and status are merit-based rather than imposed) and self-organizing (processes adapt to people rather than people adapt to pre-defined processes)."[23]

Open-source license
Main article: Open-source license

Open source promotes universal access via an open-source or free license to a product's design or blueprint, and universal redistribution of that design or blueprint.[24][25] Before the phrase open source became widely adopted, developers and producers used a variety of other terms. Open source gained hold in part due to the rise of the Internet.[26] The open-source software movement arose to clarify copyright, licensing, domain, and consumer issues.

An open-source license is a type of license for computer software and other products that allows the source code, blueprint or design to be used, modified or shared (with or without modification) under defined terms and conditions.[27][28] This allows end users and commercial companies to review and modify the source code, blueprint or design for their own customization, curiosity or troubleshooting needs. Open-source licensed software is mostly available free of charge, though this does not necessarily have to be the case. Licenses which only permit non-commercial redistribution or modification of the source code for personal use only are generally not considered as open-source licenses. However, open-source licenses may have some restrictions, particularly regarding the expression of respect to the origin of software, such as a requirement to preserve the name of the authors and a copyright statement within the code, or a requirement to redistribute the licensed software only under the same license (as in a copyleft license). One popular set of open-source software licenses are those approved by the Open Source Initiative (OSI) based on their Open Source Definition (OSD).

Open-source software code
Main article: Open-source software

Generally, open source refers to a computer program in which the source code is available to the general public for use for any (including commercial) purpose, or modification from its original design. Open-source code is meant to be a collaborative effort, where programmers improve upon the source code and share the changes within the community. Code is released under the terms of a software license. Depending on the license terms, others may then download, modify, and publish their version (fork) back to the community.

"Open" versus "free" versus "free and open"

Free and open-source software (FOSS) or Free/Libre and open-source software (FLOSS) is openly shared source code that is licensed without any restrictions on usage, modification, or distribution. Confusion persists about this definition because the "Free", also known as "Libre", refers to the freedom of the product not the price, expense, cost, or charge. For example, "being free to speak" is not the same as "free beer".[7]

Conversely, Richard Stallman argues the obvious meaning of term "open source" is that the source code is public/accessible for inspection, without necessarily any other rights granted, although the proponents of the term say the conditions in the Open Source Definition must be fulfilled.[29]

"Free and open" should not be confused with public ownership (state ownership), deprivatization (nationalization), anti-privatization (anti-corporate activism), or transparent behavior.

Software

Agriculture, economy, manufacturing and production

Science and medicine

Media

Organizations

Procedures

Society
  • Open-source curriculum (OSC), an online instructional resource that can be freely used, distributed and modified while inviting feedback and participation from developers, educators, government officials, students and parents
  • Open-source governance, open source in government
    • Open politics (sometimes known as Open-source politics), a political process that uses Internet technologies to provide a rapid feedback mechanism between political organizations and their supporters
    See also: Parliamentary informatics and Civic technology.
  • Open-source religion in the creation of belief systems
  • Open-source unionism, an innovative model for labor union organization

References
  1. "The Open Source Definition". Open Source Org. 7 July 2006. Archived from the original on 11 June 2007. Retrieved 22 January 2020. Open source doesn't just mean access to the source code.
  2. "What is Open Source Software". Diffingo Solutions Inc. Archived from the original on 28 October 2008. Retrieved 22 January 2020. Open source software differers from other software because it has a less restrictive license agreement: Instead of using a restrictive license that prevents you from modifying the program or sharing it with friends for example, sharing and modifying open source software is encouraged. Anyone who wishes to do so may distribute, modify or even create derivative works based on that source code!
  3. O'Mahony, Siobhan Clare (2002). "The emergence of a new commercial actor: Community managed software projects". Stanford, CA: Stanford University: 34–42. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  4. Eric S. Raymond. "Goodbye, "free software"; hello, "open source"". The problem with it is twofold. First, ... the term "free" is very ambiguous ... Second, the term makes a lot of corporate types nervous.
  5. Shea, Tom (23 June 1983). "Free software - Free software is a junkyard of software spare parts". InfoWorld. Retrieved 10 February 2016. "In contrast to commercial software is a large and growing body of free software that exists in the public domain. Public-domain software is written by microcomputer hobbyists (also known as "hackers") many of whom are professional programmers in their work life. [...] Since everybody has access to source code, many routines have not only been used but dramatically improved by other programmers."
  6. Tiemann, Michael (19 September 2006). "History of the OSI". Open Source Initiative. Archived from the original on 1 October 2002. Retrieved 23 August 2008.
  7. "Why Open Source misses the point of Free Software". fsf.org. 18 May 2012. Retrieved 14 November 2012.
  8. Muffatto, Moreno (2006). Open Source: A Multidisciplinary Approach. Imperial College Press. ISBN 978-1-86094-665-3.
  9. "Goodbye, "free software"; hello, "open source"". Catb.org. Retrieved 25 October 2012.
  10. van Rossum, Guido (10 April 1998). "Open Source Summit". Linux Gazette. Archived from the original on 29 December 2013. Retrieved 7 February 2015.
  11. Levine, Sheen S., & Prietula, M. J. (2013). Open Collaboration for Innovation: Principles and Performance. Organization Science, doi:10.1287/orsc.2013.0872
  12. Raymond, Eric S. (2001). The cathedral and the bazaar: musings on Linux and Open Source by an accidental revolutionary. OReilly. ISBN 978-0-596-00108-7.
  13. Pearce, Joshua M (2012). "The Case for Open Source Appropriate Technology". Environment, Development and Sustainability. 14 (3): 425–431. doi:10.1007/s10668-012-9337-9.
  14. "Science 2.0 is here as CSIR resorts to open-source drug research for TB" Business Standard, 1 March 2009
  15. "Open Source Drug Discovery for Malaria Consortium
  16. Lakhani, Karim R., & von Hippel, Eric (2003). How Open Source Software Works: Free User to User Assistance. Research Policy, 32, 923–943 doi:10.2139/ssrn.290305
  17. Jarvenpaa, S. L., & Majchrzak, Ann (2008). Knowledge Collaboration Among Professionals Protecting National Security: Role of Transactive Memories in Ego-Centered Knowledge Networks. Organization Science, 19(2), 260-276 doi:10.1287/orsc.1070.0315
  18. Faraj, S., Jarvenpaa, S. L., & Majchrzak, Ann (2011). Knowledge Collaboration in Online Communities. Organization Science, 22(5), 1224-1239, doi:10.1287/orsc.1100.0614
  19. "Open collaboration leading to novel organizations - KurzweilAI".
  20. Levine, Sheen S.; Michael J. Prietula (30 December 2013). "Open Collaboration for Innovation: Principles and Performance". Organization Science. 25 (5): 1414–1433. arXiv:1406.7541. doi:10.1287/orsc.2013.0872. ISSN 1047-7039. S2CID 6583883.
  21. Riehle, D.; Ellenberger, J.; Menahem, T.; Mikhailovski, B.; Natchetoi, Y.; Naveh, B.; Odenwald, T. (March 2009). "Open Collaboration within Corporations Using Software Forges" (PDF). IEEE Software. 26 (2): 52–58. doi:10.1109/MS.2009.44. ISSN 0740-7459. S2CID 6038418. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 October 2016. Retrieved 22 November 2018.
  22. "About". The International Symposium on Open Collaboration. 15 June 2010.
  23. Dirk Riehle. "Definition of Open Collaboration". The Joint International Symposium on Open Collaboration. Archived from the original on 12 March 2013. Retrieved 26 March 2013. Open collaboration is collaboration that is egalitarian （everyone can join, no principled or artificial barriers to participation exist）, meritocratic （decisions and status are merit-based rather than imposed） and self-organizing （processes adapt to people rather than people adapt to pre-defined processes）.
  24. Lakhani, K.R.; von Hippel, E. (June 2003). "How Open Source Software Works: Free User to User Assistance". Research Policy. 32 (6): 923–943. doi:10.1016/S0048-7333(02)00095-1. hdl:1721.1/70028.
  25. Gerber, A.; Molefo, O.; Van der Merwe, A. (2010). "Documenting open-source migration processes for re-use". In Kotze, P.; Gerber, A.; van der Merwe, A.; et al. (eds.). Proceedings of the SAICSIT 2010 Conference — Fountains of Computing Research. ACM Press. pp. 75–85. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.1033.7791. doi:10.1145/1899503.1899512. ISBN 978-1-60558-950-3. S2CID 11970697.
  26. Weber, Steve (2009) [2004]. The Success of Open Source. Harvard University Press. ISBN 978-0-674-04499-9.
  27. "Brief Definition of Open Source Licenses". Open Source Initiative. Retrieved 25 April 2013.
  28. Popp, Dr. Karl Michael (2015). Best Practices for commercial use of open source software. Norderstedt, Germany: Books on Demand. ISBN 978-3738619096.
  29. Richard Stallman. "Why Open Source misses the point of Free Software". gnu.org. Retrieved 17 February 2019. However, the obvious meaning for the expression “open source software”—and the one most people seem to think it means—is “You can look at the source code.” [...] the obvious meaning for “open source” is not the meaning that its advocates intend [...]

See also

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