Understanding open source software in 2024

What we today call open source was originally called “Free Software.” The word “free” wasn’t meant to refer to the price of the software, but to independence and liberty from corporate control. As the popularity of Free Software grew, so did the confusion over the word “free,” and it became clear that a different word was required.

Where did the term “open source” come from?

On February 5 1998, there was a meeting at VA Research of IT workers looking to promote free software as an approach to improving software security and reliability. In this meeting, Christine Peterson, with support from Todd Anderson, formally proposed to influential technologists the term “open source” for software that made its source code available for review, modification, and sharing.

What is open source software?

Open source software is any software with source code that’s available to anyone for modification and redistribution. The appeal of this kind of software is primarily its development model. When anyone can review the code that makes an application work, any software developer can find and potentially fix bugs when that application doesn’t work as intended. This method of distributed and collaborative programming has created a foundation for constant improvement and maintenance for the software that we all use across countless industries.

What is the Open Source Initiative?

The Open Source Initiative (OSI) is the organization that formally defines the term “open source.” The OSI is one reason that you can trust that when something is advertised as open source, it actually does come with an open source license attached. Of course, the OSI doesn’t police the use of the words “open source,” but the term has a singular meaning largely because organizations like the OSI and companies like Red Hat are precise about what earns the open source label.

If software isn’t accompanied by an open source license that grants you the legal right to use, modify, and redistribute its source code, then it’s not open source software.

What is the Open Source Definition?

The Open Source Definition (OSD) is the online document published by the Open Source Initiative that states the requirements a license must meet in order to be described as open source. There are 10 conditions in the definition, and if you’re new to software licensing then you’ll likely find it surprisingly easy to understand. The OSD isn’t full of specialized legal terminology, and instead has been designed to be understood by anyone needing clarification on what open source software is all about. As usual, the central theme of the definition can be summed up with just three broad characteristics: Open source software can be freely used, modified, and shared.