Open source software(OSS) refers to a kind of computer software for which the source code is made available under a copyright license that is basically free for using, modification and distribution. It is often developed in a public, collaborative manner.
The free software movement was launched in 1983. In 1998, the term free software was replaced by open source software (OSS). Software developers may publish their software with an open source software license, so that anybody may also develop the same software, understand how it works and use it in their own way. Open source software generally allows anybody to make a new version of the software, port it to new operating systems and processor architectures, share it with others or market it. The aim of open source is to let the product be more understandable, modifiable, duplicable, reliable or simply accessible, while it is still marketable.
Software licenses grant rights to users which would otherwise be prohibited by copyright law. These include rights on usage, modification and redistribution. Open source software is licensed under the Open Source Definition. Several open-source software licenses have qualified within the boundary of the Open Source Definition. The most prominent example is the popular GNU General Public License (GPL).
There are organizations and projects established under the open source software philosophy. An incomplete list is presented below:
- ADempiere -- ERP/CRM business software
- Apache Software Foundation
- Blender -- 3d animation
- CodePlex - hosting website
- Debian - a popular and influential Linux distribution
- Drupal -- Content Management System
- Eclipse Foundation
- Fedora Project
- FreeBSD – Unix Like OS
- Freedesktop.org
- Free Software Foundation
- GIMP -- Image Editing similar to photoshop
- GNU – A group of open source software for Unix systems
- Inkscape -- Vector tool similar to illustrator
- Java – a high level computer language
- JBoss - JBoss Application Server (or JBoss AS) is a free software / open source Java EE-based application server.
- Joomla -- Content Management System
- KnowledgeTree -- Document Management for Teams and Small to Medium-sized Organizations
- LibreSource
- Linux – Unix like OS
- Macaulay2 -- algebraic geometry and commutative algebra
- Miranda IM -- multiprotocol IM
- Mozilla Foundation
- MySQL – Database software
- NetBSD – Unix like OS
- OpenBSD – Unix like OS
- Open-Xchange
- OpenOffice.org -- Word processor, spreadsheet, presentation tool, database, equation editor
- OpenSees -- open system for earthquake engineering simulation
- OpenSuse – Linux distribution
- Open Solutions Alliance
- Open Source Development Labs
- Open Source Initiative
- Open Source Geospatial Foundation
- Open Source Software Resource Centre
- OSCommerce – Payment and customer management system
- PHP -- Hypertext preprocessor
- Povray -- Ray Tracer
- Python – A high-level programming language
- Restore -- RESTORE is an open-source project for heterogeneous system backup and restore.
- SAGE -- Magma computer algebra system
- Samba - Information sharing among Unix, Linux and Windows systems
- Scribus -- Desktop publishing similar to pagemaker
- SourceForge -- Repository of open source software
- Subversion (software) -- version control
- Synfig -- 2d vector graphic and animation
- Ubuntu - Linux distribution
- Wireshark – a networking sniffing tool
Zimbra - Zimbra Collaboration Suite (ZCS) is a groupware product