what is so great about free and open source software?
The term “free” in the software world means that it is not proprietory, in other words that it is not someone’s property. It is software free of patent and copyright laws. The term “open” refers to the fact that the creator(s) publish their work, normally the code that makes up the product. This is great for a number of reasons. Firstly because software that is created in the public domain implies a huge developer base. Everyone can create, change, improve and test the programming code. As the saying goes: “Many eyes make bugs small”. The result is code written in the best possible way, which in turn means stable, fast and abuse-resistant software. Secondly, everyone wants to have freedom of choice when purchasing a product. With Microsoft and Apple’s operating systems, this is not the case – one buys a computer and the OS is pre-installed. Without realising it, the consumer has become dependant on a single company, and it’s certified affiliates for service or adaptation of the product
