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What is the difference between Open Source and Free Software?

April 26, 2017Free open source Software

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What is the difference between Open Source and Free Software?

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OSS has its roots in Free Software. The Free Software Foundation has defined what constitutes Free Software and it shares the same basic philosophy and outlook as OSS. However, the FSF favours the retained usage of the term “Free Software” to reflect the “freedom” aspect of the philosophy behind it. It argued that by changing the name to Open Source Software, the ideals expounded by Free Software will not be emphasised and subsequently may even be lost. This may result in a tendency for people to compromise and switch back to software which does not fulfill the Free Software definition. Many of the Open Source Licenses are recognised by the FSF as Free Software. In everyday usage to all intents and purposes we can treat OSS and Free Software to be the same. In fact some people are now using term Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) to refer to open source and free software in general.