Open-Source Software
Open-source software is software in which the source code, or the code that permits the software to function, the executable program, and the software license are available free of charge to the general public. Typically, because the license is supplied, open-source software can be freely modified and redistributed by public users as well as the software originators. Examples of open-source software are UNIX, Perl, Linux and FreeBSD (Berkeley Source Distribution).
In contrast too open-source software, proprietary software must be purchased, and is not subject to modification and redistribution by users. The license for a proprietary software ensures that only the company or original software developer has the legal right to see and modify the software's source code.
Open-source software is often an evolving process. Users identify shortcomings, modify, and redistribute the software, primarily on the Internet. Proprietary software, on the other hand, is developed with the aim of identifying and correcting shortcomings prior to its issue. The process of eliminating problems and improving the software happens at a much quicker rate in an open-source environment, as the information is shared throughout the open-source community, and does not pass through the developmental hierarchies of a company.
In the 1960's, when computers were far less easy to operate, users tended to be software developers, and software tended to be supplied with the source code included. Beginning in the 1970's, however, a proprietary atmosphere began to dominate, and source codes became the domain of the commercial software developer.
A cadre of software developers, such as Richard Stallman, continued to advocate for an open software development community. Under Stallman's direction, the Free Software Foundation was created in 1983. Stallman was also the driving force behind The GNU Project (GNU is a recursive acronym for "GNU's not Unix"). The GNU Project was one of the first initiatives to challenge the emerging trend of proprietary software.
Another major impetus for open-source software came in 1991, when Linus Torvalds publicly released his first version of an open-source version of the Unix operating system (now called Linux). Finally, the Open-Source Initiative (OSI) was formed in 1998, stimulated by the announced public distribution of the formerly proprietary Netscape Internet browser.
Open-source software is closely allied to open communications protocols, which allows many different types of computer equipment to run the software and communicate with one another. Although the development of open-source software is communal and virtually unrestricted, often there is some sort of central authority that collects and combines the changes made by users. For example, Linus Tovalds still fulfills this role for Linux software.
A number of companies, such as Red Hat and Corel, supply functional add-ons to open-source software. Despite its freely available nature, such opportunities have made open-source software economically viable. Open-source software such as Linux can be packaged into a convenient and easy to install package, with programming support available. This tact has proven so attractive that consumers will often pay to acquire the convenience surrounding a free piece of software.
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