Want To Create A Wiki Article Defining Open Source

**UnusuallyGenius** · 11-19-2009, 10:51 AM

I would like to create a wiki article that would once and for all define Open Source.

I would appreciate it if people could weigh in their opinions of what Open Source means.
Open Source vs. Closed Source
Free Vs. Open Source
Etc.

Than way we can have a clear defined standard that everyone knows about

**tripzero** · 11-19-2009, 11:50 AM

nGhost is open source,
RR is free
CF is neither free nor open source.

done.

Open Source doesn't necessarily mean free as in cost. Free Open Source Software does however. Anything Open Source, once you obtain it either freely or by paying money for it, you are free to do with it as you like. That includes source code modification and all sorts of tweaking. Free Software while it doesn't cost anything, you aren't free to hack/tweak/modify any of the codes.

Obviously, closed non-free software is such that you pay to use, and aren't allowed to change.

**Bugbyte** · 11-19-2009, 12:10 PM

So, open source whether hardware or software has the following characteristic:

1. Can be freely altered without restriction

Example: nGhost

Free software has the following characteristics:

1. Does not require purchase
2. Does not permit modification

Example: RideRunner

Close software has the following characteristics:

1. Requires purchase
2. Does not permit modification

Example: Centrafuse

**chunkyks** · 11-19-2009, 12:50 PM

BugByte: free [lowercase 'f', as in gratis, or beer] doesn't necessarily preclude Free [uppercase 'F', as in libre, or speech].

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gratis_versus_Libre

The two defining books on the topic [available online, both good if occasionally narcisstic reading] are Free as in Freedom and The Cathedral and the Bazaar.

Trip has it right; free and Free are separate labels that can be applied to a piece of software. OBDGPSLogger and nGhost are both free and Free. RideRunner is free but not Free, and centrafuse is neither.

The other site that examines this stuff better than I ever could is Debian's description of "Free", and the "Free Software Guidelines" section in the Debian social contract

For want of a page to put in the wiki: I'd suggest throwing a copy of the Debian FSG [with a link] in there to describe what you consider "open source" and point out that "free" like beer doesn't necessarily mean something is open source, but does mean you don't have to pay for it.

Gary (-;

**chunkyks** · 11-19-2009, 12:59 PM

Oh, and for completeness, some of Microsoft's shared source licenses occupy the [tiny] section of the venn diagram that is "libre"-ish but not gratis.

Gary (-;