Open Source Software (OSS)

What is OSS?

Open-source software (OSS) is software whose source code is freely available for anyone to view, modify, and enhance.

The source code is the underlying set of instructions that dictate how a program functions. Most users never see it, but it is essential for software development. With open access to this code, developers can improve the software by fixing bugs, adding new features, or optimizing performance. This collaborative approach fosters innovation, transparency, and continuous improvement, making open-source software a key driver in the evolution of technology.

The notion of making source code publicly available stemmed from an intellectual campaign started informally by Richard Stallman, a programmer at MIT, in 1983. This new technique and mindset around software development gained traction, eventually leading to the founding of the Open Source Initiative (OSI) in 1998.

What is the Open Source Initiative (OSI)?

The Open Source Initiative (OSI) was established to promote and safeguard open-source software and communities.

In short, the OSI serves as a central repository of open-source software knowledge and governance. It includes standards and principles for using and interacting with open-source software, code license information, support, definitions, and general community engagement to help make open-source usage and treatment intelligible and ethical.

How does OSS work?

Open source code is often hosted in a public repository and distributed widely. Anyone with access to the repository can utilize the code alone or contribute to the overall project's design and functionality.

OSS often includes a distribution license. This license specifies how developers may use, study, alter, and, most importantly, distribute the program.

- The MIT License

- GNU General Public License (GPL) 2.0: This more stringent license requires that copies of changed code be accessible for public use.

- Apache License

- GNU General Public License (GPL) 3.0

- BSD License 2.0 (3-clause, New or Revised)—a less restrictive license.

When source code is modified, OSS must include the changes and the techniques used. Depending on the licensing conditions, the software resulting from these modifications may or may not be obliged to be made accessible for free.

Is open-source software bug-free?

The simple answer is no. With various parties contributing changes and enhancements, it is unavoidable that open-source software will have quality, performance, and security issues. However, many code contributors might mean issues and problems are resolved more quickly.

Code faults will exist regardless of whether the product is open source or commercial. The key distinction is who is responsible for bug fixes; vendors are liable for commercial software, whereas consumers are responsible for open-source software. OSS can be readily protected with solid AppSec tools and practices.

What is the difference between free, closed, and open-source software?

For a long time, open-source software was known as "free software." Richard Stallman founded the free software movement with the GNU Project in 1983. The movement was structured around user freedoms: the freedom to read the source code, alter it, and redistribute it—to make it available and function for the user in whatever way the user required it to operate.

There is a free alternative to proprietary or "closed source" software. Closed-source software is highly secure, and only the source code's owners have the legal right to view it.

Closed source code cannot be legally edited or duplicated, and the user only pays to use the product as intended—they cannot modify it or share it with their community.

However, the term "free software" has caused some consternation. Free software does not always mean free to own; it simply means free to use however you see fit.