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Open source is a method and philosophy for software licensing and distribution designed to encourage use and improvement of software written by volunteers by ensuring that anyone can copy the source code and modify it freely.

Description[]

The term "open source" is now more widely used than the earlier term "free software" (promoted by the Free Software Foundation) but has broadly the same meaning - free of distribution restrictions, not necessarily free of charge. There are various open source licenses available, such as the GNU General Public License. Programmers can choose an appropriate license to use when distributing their programs.[1]

Microsoft and open source[]

Microsoft has historically been critical of the open source model, however in 2020 Microsoft president Brad Smith admitted that the company was "on the wrong side of history when open source exploded at the beginning of the century, and I can say that about me personally". [2]

References[]

  1. Template:FOLDOCDirectLink. 1999-12-29.
  2. Microsoft: we were wrong about open source, by Tom Warren, The Verge, 2020-05-18

External links[]

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This page uses GFDL licensed content from the Free On-line Dictionary of Computing.
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