Open source software is free software. It’s not necessarily cost-free, but is free to use, free to modify, and free to share.
Open source is a model of dealing with software that presents an alternative to the commercial licensing that imposes many layers of restrictions. It also stands for a broader philosophical approach to software that aims to give its users more freedom and allow them to break free from constraints associated with the traditional proprietary model.
Programmers write software using languages like C, C++, Java, or Perl. The code written by the programmer will usually be compiled into a binary form that can be run on a computer. It is this binary form that is most commonly distributed for use. Distributing the binaries saves the user from the work of recompiling the software and makes for a much easier process of installation.
In the realm of proprietary software, only the binary form of the program is distributed to users. The original source code is held as confidential proprietary information, made available only to programmers of the organization that created the software application. In a business model that is dependent on revenue from licensing fees and prohibits use by anyone not paying for the product, it’s important to control access to the source code, lest unauthorized versions become freely available. In this realm, the way the software works as expressed in the source code is usually a closely guarded trade secret.
In contrast, open source software requires that the source code underlying a computer program be made available to its users. With the source code available, other programmers can study how the software works, fix errors, and make modifications. If the software isn’t exactly suited for a given use, it can be adjusted or improved. The open source model of software development values the inspection of the source code by other programmers. It proposes that when more programmers have the ability to view and study the code, the more likely it is that errors will be discovered and repaired.
Open source software has been a growing part of the overall landscape for the last decade or so. In the broader information technology arena, open source software alternatives have become well-established in key areas of infrastructure from operating systems to web servers.
Open source operating systems include many varieties of Linux that compete with proprietary systems like Microsoft Windows. The classic polemic casts Microsoft as a monopolistic domineering company against the open source alternatives that free the world from its stranglehold. In the real world, many individuals continue to choose the proprietary option, and others prefer open source alternatives. These two approaches coexist in the market.
In almost all aspects of computer infrastructure, open source and proprietary software are both available. Whether a library uses an open source LMS or not it may make use of open source software in other parts of its computing environment and there are lots of well established Open Source products out there that we use all the time: Firefox, Linux, Java, Apache, MySQL, Moodle, Drupal, OpenOffice etc.
The main thing about Open Source is that it is community driven, by the users not by the vendor.
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