open source

2 definitions found

open source - Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (26 May 2007) :

  open source
  
     <philosophy, legal> 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.
  
     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.
     Programmers can choose an appropriate license to use when
     distributing their programs.
  
     The Open Source Initiative promotes the Open Source Definition
     .
  
     The Cathedral and the Bazaar  (http://tuxedo.org/~esr/writings/cathedral-bazaar/cathedral-bazaar.html)
      .
     was a seminal paper describing the open source phenomenon.
  
     Open Sources - O'Reilly book with full text online (http://oreilly.com/catalog/opensources/book/perens.html)
     .
  
     Articles from ZDNet (http://zdnet.com/pcmag/features/opensource/)
     .
  
     (1999-12-29)
  

open source - Jargon File (4.4.4, 14 Aug 2003) :

  open source
   n.
  
     [common; also adj. open-source] Term coined in March 1998 following
     the Mozilla release to describe software distributed in source under
     licenses guaranteeing anybody rights to freely use, modify, and
     redistribute, the code. The intent was to be able to sell the
  hackers'
     ways of doing software to industry and the mainstream by avoiding the
     negative connotations (to suits) of the term "free software". For
     discussion of the follow-on tactics and their consequences, see the
     Open Source Initiative site.