OPEN-SOURCE SOFTWARE

Open-source software (OSS)

• 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.
• may be developed in a collaborative public manner.
• prominent example of open collaboration making the
number of possible contributors indefinite. The ability to
examine the code facilitates public trust in the software.
• collaborative, relying on community production and peer
review to use, change, and share source code with each other.
• Developers share insights, ideas, and code to create more
innovative software solutions both collectively and individually.
• This scalable and flexible software ensures that anyone with
the source code can modify, enhance, and redistribute it for
better reusability and accessibility.
• Open source software operates with the underlying principles
of peer production and mass collaboration, creating more
sustainable software development for end users.
 WHAT IS OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE?

• Open source software is software with source code that anyone

can inspect, modify, and enhance.
• "Source code" is the part of software that most computer users
don't ever see.
• Programmers who have access to a computer program's source
code can improve that program by adding features to it or fixing
parts that don't always work correctly.
 WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN OPEN
SOURCE SOFTWARE AND OTHER TYPES OF
SOFTWARE?
• Some software has source code that only the person, team, or
organization who created it—and maintains exclusive control
over it—can modify. People call this kind of software
"proprietary" or "closed source" software.
Examples of Proprietary software:
• Microsoft Office
• Adobe Photoshop
 IS OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE ONLY IMPORTANT TO
COMPUTER PROGRAMMERS?

• No. Open source technology and open source thinking both benefit
programmers and non-programmers.
• Because early inventors built much of the Internet itself on open
source technologies—like the Linux operating system and
the Apache Web server application—anyone using the Internet
today benefits from open source software.
 WHY DO PEOPLE PREFER USING OPEN SOURCE
SOFTWARE?

Control
• They can examine the code to make sure it's not doing anything
they don't want it to do, and they can change parts of it they
don't like.
• Users who aren't programmers also benefit from open source
software, because they can use this software for any purpose they
wish—not merely the way someone else thinks they should.
 WHY DODO
WHY PEOPLE
PEOPLEPREFER
PREFER USING OPENSOURCE
USING OPEN SOURCE
SOFTWARE?
SOFTWARE?

Stability
• Many users prefer open source software to proprietary software for
important, long-term projects.
• Because programmers publicly distribute the source code for open
source software, users relying on that software for critical tasks can
be sure their tools won't disappear or fall into disrepair if their
original creators stop working on them.
 DOESN'T "OPEN SOURCE" JUST MEAN
SOMETHING IS FREE OF CHARGE?
• No. This is a common misconception about what "open
source" implies, and the concept's implications are not only
economic.
• Open source software programmers can charge money for the
open source software they create or to which they contribute.
 WHAT IS THE OPEN SOURCE INITIATIVE?

The Open Source Initiative (OSI) was created to promote and

protect open source software and communities.
It provides rules and guidelines for how to use and interact with
OSS, as well as providing code licensing information, support,
definitions, and general community collaboration to help make
the use and treatment of open source understandable and
ethical.
 HOW DOES OSS WORK?

• Open source code is usually stored in a public repository

and shared publicly. Anyone can access the repository to
use the code independently or contribute improvements to
the design and functionality of the overall project.
 CLOSED-SOURCE SOFTWARE

• Closed-source software (proprietary software) is software

whose author owns all rights to use, modify, and copy it.
Software products that do not meet the requirements
for open-source software are generally categorized as closed-
source software.
 CLOSED SOURCE OPERATING SYSTEM

• A closed source operating system is proprietary software with

encrypting codes that not distribute in the public domain.
• The software is distributed only to authorized users under a
licensing agreement, but has private modifications, copying and
redistribution restrictions.
• With a closed operating system, you don’t buy the software but pay
to use it.
• The original authors retain the right to copy and alter that software.
 WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN OPEN
SOURCE AND CLOSED SOURCE SOFTWARE?

Factors Open source Closed source

Price Available for nominal or zero Cost varies based upon the scale
licensing and usage charges. of the software.

Freedom to Completely customizable but it Change requests must be made

customize depends on the open source to the company selling the
license. Requires in-house software. This includes bug fixes,
expertise. features, and enhancements.

User-friendliness Typically less user-friendly, but it Typically more user-friendly. As a

can depend on the goals of the for-profit product, adoptability
project and those maintaining it. and user experience are often
key considerations.
WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES AND
DISADVANTAGES OF OPEN
SOURCE SOFTWARE?
 ADVANTAGES

• 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.
 ADVANTAGES
• 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
 DISADVANTAGES

• Open source can be harder to use and adopt due to difficulty setting it
up and the lack of friendly user interfaces.
• Open source can pose compatibility issues. When attempting to
program proprietary hardware with OSS, there is often a need for
specialized drivers that are typically only available from the hardware
manufacturer.
 DISADVANTAGES

• Open source software can pose liability issues. Unlike commercial

software, which is fully controlled by the vendor, open source rarely
contains any warranty, liability, or infringement indemnity protection.
This leaves the consumer of the OSS responsible for maintaining
compliance with legal obligations.
• Open source can incur unexpected costs in training users, importing
data, and setting up required hardware