What is open source software?

Open Source Software (OSS) is a software that source code can be viewed and changed by the public, or means "open".If the source code cannot be viewed or changed by the public, it is called "closed" or "proprietary".

The source code is the one behind the software that users cannot see, it gives instructions for how the software and its features work.

What do users benefit from open source software?

Open source software allows developers to work together to improve software such as finding bugs, fixing bugs (bug), updating with new technologies or creating new features.Group activity on such open source projects benefits from the fact that bug fixes often happen quickly, new features are added regularly, software is more stable, security patches are also released quickly. faster than proprietary software.

Many OSS use some versions or variants of the GNU General Publics License (GNU GPL or GPL).The simplest way to think of GPL is to treat it as a public property image (pubic domain).Both allow anyone to edit, update, and reuse anything they want.

GPL allows programmers and users to access and change the source code while public property allows them to freely use the image.The GNU part of the GPL refers to the right to be created for GNU systems, an open / free operating system that has and will continue to be an important project of open source technology.

Another plus for OSS with users is that they are completely free, but some software may charge extra if there are other services such as technical support .

What is open source software? Picture 1
Open source software is a collaborative product of many people

Where does the open source come from?

The concept and software of co-programming have been around since the 1950s and 1960s, but in the 1970s and 1980s, legal disputes caused this idea to lose its appeal.Exclusive software dominated the software market until Richard Stallman founded the Free Software Foundation (FSF) in 1985, bringing the free / open software back.

The concept of "free software" refers to freedom, at no cost.The social movement behind open software allows software users to freely view, change, update, edit, and add source code to meet their needs and distribute and share with others easily.

FSF plays an important role in the open source software movement with the GNU Project.GNU is a free operating system (a group of operating devices or computer or device instruction tools), often released tools, libraries, combined applications . called versions or versions distribution.

GNU comes with a software called kernel, which manages the resources of the computer or device, including communication between applications and hardware.The most popular GNU kernel is the Linux kernel, first created by Linus Torvalds.The combination of the operating system and the kernel is called the GNU / Linux operating system, although it is often referred to simply as Linux.

For many reasons, including making it easy to confuse the market with the meaning of the term "open software", the term "open source" is often used for software created and maintained by community coordination.

The term "open source" was officially approved at a special conference of technology leaders that took place in February 1998 organized by Tim O'Reilly.Later that month, the Open Source Initiative (OSI) was founded by Eric Raymond and Bruce Perens, a non-profit organization that encourages the development of open source software.

FSF continues to be a supporter and an active organization to support users' "open source rights and freedom".However, many of these organizations use the term "open source" for projects and software that allow them to access the source code.

Open source software is part of everyday life

Open source projects are very popular in everyday life.Both iOS and Android operating systems were previously created by blocks from open source software and projects.

Are you using Chrome or Firefox to read this article?Mozilla FIrefox is an open source web browser.Google Chrome is an edited version of an open source project called Chromium - though Chromium is initiated by Google developers and they continue to play an important role in updating and adding, Google also offers Add new features (some of them are not open source) to the base software for developing Google Chrome browser.

There can be no Internet today without OSS.Technology pioneers built the World Wide Web world with open source technology, such as the Linux operating system and the Apache web server to create the Internet today.

The Apache web server is OSS software that handles requests for a given website (for example, when you click on a website you want to visit) by searching and bringing you to that page.The Apache web server is open source and is maintained by volunteers, members of a nonprofit organization called the Apache Software Foundation.

See more:

1. If you don't want to use Github source code repository, these are other options for you
2. Linux operating system: A strange development path
3. 7 Great open source security apps you may not know yet