open source software

Extracted Attributes

• Core Rights

  Use, study, change, and distribute source code

• Economic Value

  $8.8 trillion (2024 estimate)

• Cost Efficiency

  Firms would spend 3.5x more without the use of open source

• Development Model

  Collaborative, public, and community-based

• Commercial Adoption

  97% of commercial codebases contain open-source code

Timeline

• The Biden Administration issues a 111-page executive order on AI, sparking concerns about its impact on open-source software innovation. (Source: All-In Podcast)

  2023-10-30

• Annual estimates value the contribution of open-source software to global firms at $8.8 trillion. (Source: Wikipedia)

  2024-01-01

Open-source software

Open-source software (OSS) is computer software that is released under a license in which the copyright holder grants users the rights to use, study, change, and distribute the software and its source code to anyone and for any purpose. Open-source software may be developed in a collaborative, public manner. Open-source software is a prominent example of open collaboration, meaning any capable user is able to participate online in development, making the number of possible contributors indefinite. The ability to examine the code facilitates public trust in the software. Open-source software development can bring in diverse perspectives beyond those of a single company. A 2024 estimate of the value of open-source software to firms is $8.8 trillion, as firms would need to spend 3.5 times the amount they currently do without the use of open source software. Open-source code can be used for studying and allows capable end users to adapt software to their personal needs in a similar way user scripts and custom style sheets allow for web sites, and eventually publish the modification as a fork for users with similar preferences, and directly submit possible improvements as pull requests.

Web Search Results

• What Is Open Source Software? - IBM

  # What is open source software? ## Authors Stephanie Susnjara Staff Writer IBM Think Ian Smalley Staff Editor IBM Think ## What is open source software? Open source software (OSS) is source code developed and maintained through open collaboration. Anyone can use, examine, alter and redistribute OSS as they see fit, typically at no cost. Open source contrasts with proprietary or closed source software applications such as Microsoft Word or Adobe Illustrator. The creator or copyright holder sells the proprietary or closed source software to end users, who are not allowed to edit, enhance or redistribute the product except as specified by the copyright holder. [...] “Open source” also refers to a community-based approach to creating intellectual property, such as software, through open collaboration, inclusiveness, transparency and frequent public updates. Open source has become a fundamental pillar of modern software development, especially in regard to the modern enterprise DevOps model—a set of practices, protocols and technologies used to accelerate the delivery of higher-quality applications and services. By integrating open source tools into DevOps workflows, teams can streamline processes, automate repetitive tasks and foster greater collaboration, ultimately accelerating development and deployment cycles. [...] ## Open source in enterprise and personal computing Open source software now plays a vital role in computing, with open source technologies providing the foundation of the internet, business computing and personal computing. Virtually all computing devices now contain open source code of many types, typically adopted by developers to perform both fundamental operations and more advanced functions. Some of the most prevalent open source software applications include the following: The Linux® operating system, an open source alternative to the Unix operating system Mozilla Firefox, a web browser originally based on Netscape Navigator LibreOffice, a suite of office productivity apps that rival Microsoft Office

• What Is Open Source Software and How Does It Work? | Black Duck

  ## Definition Open source software (OSS) is software that is distributed with its source code, making it available for use, modification, and distribution with its original rights. Source code is the part of software that most computer users don’t ever see; it’s the code computer programmers manipulate to control how a program or application behaves. Programmers who have access to source code can change a program by adding to it, changing it, or fixing parts of it that aren’t working properly. OSS typically includes a license that allows programmers to modify the software to best fit their needs and control how the software can be distributed. ### What's in your code? [...] ## Pros of open source software Open source software is free. Open source is flexible; developers can examine how the code works and freely make changes to dysfunctional or problematic aspects of the application to better fit their unique needs. Open source is stable; the source code is publicly distributed, so users can depend on it for their long-term projects since they know that the code’s creators cannot simply discontinue the project or let it fall into disrepair. Open source fosters ingenuity; programmers can use pre-existing code to improve the software and even come up with their own innovations. Open source comes with a built-in community that continuously modifies and improves the source code. Open source provides great learning opportunities for new programmers.v

• What Is Open Source Software and Why Use OSS? - Coursera

  ## What is open source software? Simply put, open source software has open source code. This means anyone who wants to view, change, or improve the code has access. Source code is the actual program code, the written instructions from the programmer to the computer to perform a function. In many cases, a company or individual owns software, and they have exclusive rights to the source code as intellectual property. These types of software are “proprietary” or “closed source,” and users are often unable to view the source code and see how the developers created the software. Open source, on the other hand, is freely shared, which can lead to a spirit of collaboration and community around projects while offering cost-effective options for software solutions. [...] # What Is Open Source Software and Why Use OSS? Written by Coursera Staff • Updated on Open source software is software anyone can view, copy, or modify. It’s popular because it’s free to use and a collaborative experience. Learn more about types of open source software and open source software examples. ## Key takeaways Open source software (OSS) has open source code, which means anyone who wants to view, change, or improve the code has access. The use of open source software is pervasive, with 97 percent of commercial codebases surveyed containing open source code . [...] Open source software is free to use, which may be the first apparent advantage for open source users. It’s also flexible, and developers can adapt and modify it for their specific needs. This is instead of going through a proprietary company for modifications or potentially expensive customizations. Another benefit of open source software is the community of people who use it. Many people continue to improve and debug open source programs, meaning you can connect to other interested developers if you have questions or ideas about the code. This also makes the code more trustworthy and stable, giving developers peace of mind that it will continue to be available for use.

• Open-source software - Wikipedia

  Under OSI's definition, open source is a broad software license that makes source code available to the general public with relaxed or non-existent restrictions on the use and modification of the code. It is an explicit feature of open source that it puts very few restrictions on the use or distribution by any organization or user, in order to enable the rapid evolution of the software. [...] ## Adoption and application [edit] ### Key projects [edit] Open source software projects are built and maintained by a network of programmers, who may often be volunteers, and are widely used in free as well as commercial products. [...] ### Extensions for non-software use [edit] While the term open source applied originally only to the source code of software, it is now being applied to many other areas such as open-source ecology, a movement to decentralize technologies so that any human can use them. However, it is often misapplied to other areas that have different and competing principles, which overlap only partially. The same principles that underlie open-source software can be found in many other ventures, such as open source, open content, and open collaboration.

• The ultimate list of 15 best open-source software in 2024 - Rocket.Chat

  ### What is open-source software? Open-source software refers to software whose code is available to see, inspect, and intervene in. That's opposite of how closed or proprietary software works. With open-source code, developers can "see behind the engine" and understand how an app actually works. ### What are the benefits of open-source software? Benefits of open-source software include flexibility, security, and cost-effectiveness. All these benefits stem from the transparency of the code and the ability to modify it according to your own preferences. ### What are examples of open source software? Popular open-source tools include Python, LibreOffice, Linux, Firefox, WordPress, and Rocket.Chat. ### What are the best languages used for open source software? [...] Open-source software has been attributed with some important benefits for businesses, such as increased security and transparency. In a world of the distributed and remote workforces, security (and therefore open-source) plays an increasingly important role. ➡️ Learn which security features besides open-source code are most important when looking for a secure business communication platform. Read on to get the ultimate list of best open-source software to use in your company and to learn why organizations increasingly adopt open-source software. ## What is open-source software? In simple terms, open-source software is software with publicly available code. This means that anyone can not only inspect the source code but also modify it and enhance it. [...] As such, open-source software allows developers to take the code and further modify it for their use, or their company’s use. Moreover, most open-source software operate under a license that entails detailed permissions and limitations regarding distribution, modification, sublicensing, and more. Perhaps it’s easiest to understand what open-source software is in comparison to proprietary software, that is its direct opposite. Proprietary software is copyrighted and remains the property of its owner or creator. Furthermore, it can be used only under predefined conditions, which usually include a fee. Of course, relicensing, distribution, and copying are prohibited, and users cannot inspect the source code itself. ### Open source licenses