open source

Code for all

Open source describes software whose source code is freely available for anyone to view, modify, and distribute.

The term extends beyond software to any project or process that invites public collaboration and transparency: open source intelligence, an open source approach to curriculum design.

Open-source projects often rely on volunteer communities to improve and maintain them.

The company released its tools as open source.

philosophy

collaboration

Joint intellectual work

communityCollective of connected people
transparencyState of being see-through
freedomAbsence of constraint

sharing · openness · decentralization · commons · copyleft · meritocracy · hacktivism · knowledge-sharing · democratization · crowdsourcing

software

Linux

Open-source operating system kernel

GitHubWeb-based code hosting service
repositoryPlace for storing things
forkTined eating tool

commit · merge · branch · maintainer · contributor · GPL · Apache · patch · codebase · documentation

Categories

open sourceGNU, free software, GPL, forks, copyleft
group activitiesgroup games, voting, protest, group dance, group project
digital societysocial networks, internet, digital age, internet culture, digital natives
tech industrysoftware, computers, semiconductors, hardware, Amazon
tech termsinternet, code, emoji, wireless, email
collaborationscollaborators, joint task force, joint project, duo, coalition forces

Opposites

licensing and access model

open sourceproprietary

Legally owned, restricted use

closed source · proprietary software · commercial software · copyrighted · restricted

development philosophy

open sourcesecretive

Inclined to conceal

black box · walled garden · opaque · trade secret · siloed

economic model

open sourceproprietary

Legally owned, restricted use

commercial · paid · licensed · enterprise software · monetized

Family

open, source, sources, sourced, sourcing, open-source

Familiarity: Top 100,000
Profile: Used worldwide · Timeless · Abstract · Rated G