Open Source Software

Definitions and controversies

Open source software is mainly defined according to the Open Source Definition (OSD) established by the Open Source Initiative (OSI). To qualify as open source under this framework, software must provide its source code and be distributed under a license meeting the ten OSD criteria, notably including non-discrimination against persons, groups, or fields of endeavor — enabling anyone to use, modify, and redistribute it for any purpose. The definition was based on the Debian Free Software Guidelines, written and adapted primarily by Bruce Perens and Eric S. Raymond.. The OSI maintains a list of approved licenses that conform to the OSD.