What is Open Source Software?
For OSS Watch open source software is software that has been released under an Open Source Initiative (OSI) certified licence. OSS Watch uses this OSI-approved list as a means of avoiding debates over interpretation of the open source definition and which licences do or do not conform to it. By recognising the OSI as the appropriate final authority in this issue, much confusion is avoided. Each of the licences approved by the OSI meets the conditions of the Open Source Definition [http://www.opensource.org/docs/definition.html]. That definition includes 10 criteria. Perhaps the most important of these are the free redistribution of the software, access to the source code, and the permission to allow modifications to the software and derived works that may be distributed under the same licensing conditions. Very different styles of licence meet these criteria. The GNU General Public License, commonly known as the GPL, meets the criteria. The MIT licence, which is very different in lengt
In general, open source refers to a program whose source code is made available for use or modification as users or other developers see fit. (Historically, the makers of proprietary software have generally not made source code available.) Open source software is usually developed as a public collaboration and made freely available.
I get asked this all the time, and I like the succinct way Source Forge put it in their own FAQ so the below text is borrowed: “In short, Open Source software is software with source code made available to the public, with no fees or royalties for use or distribution. The official definition, as well as the rationale and history behind open source software, can be found at The Open Source Initiative’s web site.” The exact Open Source license Dalek Chess will be licensed under is the GPL, GNU Public License. The terms of the GPL can be found at The Open Source Initiative’s web site.
