2007-02-27 23:27:21 · 12 answers · asked by moojkc 2 in Computers & Internet ➔ Software
I presume you mean 'open-source' software. This refers to the fact that anybody who is given permission by the original creators of that software program may write code to enhance or update it. Examples include the Linux operating system and the Mozilla FireFox browser. Open-source software is very often available as a free download or a payment of just a dollars is required. The main advantage of this is that it encourages innovation and allows for effortless, free-of-charge improvements to be made to the software. With zero-cost freeware, you can, and are encouraged to, share it with as many people as you can.
This is the exact opposite philosophy to 'proprietary software' produced by big companies like Microsoft, Adobe or Macromedia, who require customers to sign up to a restrictive licensing arrangement where you buy the software on a shrink-wrapped CD-ROM or pay hundreds(or even thousands) of dollars on your credit card for a download. Under the terms of the ownership license, you are then NOT allowed to share it with other people and can only install it on just1 computer. (If like most people, you own both a desktop and a laptop computer, tough luck)
2007-02-27 23:45:31 · answer #1 · answered by Dalton C 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
An open software is a software of which users can alter the code and change some settings to their taste. Not only the software is FREE, but if you know something about programming, you can reprogram all of portion of the code.
Like Open Office for example.
2007-02-28 07:33:46 · answer #2 · answered by Tierix 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Any software which is made available to the public openly, without any restrictions or with minimal restrictions. Open Source software are free and can be mostly downloaded from the internet. Prominent examples are the Linux based OS distributions (like Fedora, Ubuntu, SuSE), OpenOffice (a free and excellent substitute to MS-Word, Mozilla Firefox (substitute to Internet Explorer), Mozilla Thunderbird (substitute to Outlook Express), GIMP (substitute to Adobe Photoshop), Wikipedia (online encyclopedia, and substitute to Britannica and Encarta).
2007-02-28 07:35:55 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Any software that is freely available, free to distirbute created often by the people and for the people and anyone can contribute towards making it better is known as an open software.
2007-02-28 07:37:53 · answer #4 · answered by Hasnain R 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think you mean open source software. That's software whose source code is available for programmers worldwide to modify and enhance, and thus is distributed for free. Just about everything that runs on Linux, including Linux itself is open source, and increasingly I see more open source software for Windows.
The philosophy and rule of open source is basically: Share & Share Alike. Under the GNU license, developers who use other open source sofware to create their own programs generally then have to make their own programs open source.
To read more about it, go to:
http://www.gnu.org/software/
2007-02-28 07:37:46 · answer #5 · answered by Raymond 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Software whereby the source code is available free to the public domain, such as Open Office.
2007-02-28 07:31:17 · answer #6 · answered by Del Piero 10 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
as others have said strictly speaking its open source software.
however the concept behind open source software is that the source is available to to other developers to extend, modify as they see fit. Open Source Software however doesn't neccesarily mean that its free, the developer is free to make whatever charges they see fit.
the free software foundation fsf makes this comment "``Free software'' is a matter of liberty, not price. To understand the concept, you should think of ``free'' as in ``free speech,'' not as in ``free beer.''"
examples of open source software include MySQL, Linux, GNU, Eclipse
MySQL has various pricing and distribution models.. .you can use the sogftware for free. you can develop software that uses MySQL databases for free. but you cannot bundle MySQL and repackage it as yours without paying MySQL. You can buy sopprt packages form MySQL.. the software is free but the expertise and support comes at a price.
However a great deal of the open source software is effectvely free (ie zero cost). there are some developers (especailly int he UML modelling field) who are using OSS in their tools sets and enhancing the open source code, and providing versions for sifferent prices (ranging from free upwards)
2007-02-28 07:52:07 · answer #7 · answered by Mark J 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
open software or open source software.
The source code is free available and without any copyrights free changeable and free useable.
2007-02-28 07:33:18 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
free is that simple
2007-02-28 08:09:56 · answer #9 · answered by simonjohnlaw 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋