Open-source licenses are software licenses that allow content to be used, modified, and shared. They facilitate free and open-source software (FOSS) development. Intellectual property (IP) laws restrict the modification and sharing of creative works. Free and open-source licenses use these existing legal structures for an inverse purpose. They grant the recipient the rights to use the software, examine the source code, modify it, and distribute the modifications. These criteria are outlined in the Open Source Definition.
Bruce Perens, author of the Open Source Definition
Permissive licenses generally originate in academic institutions like the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
The Copyleft sticker from an envelope Don Hopkins mailed to Richard Stallman in 1984.
Mitchell Baker drafted the Mozilla Public License while on Netscape's legal team.
Open source is source code that is made freely available for possible modification and redistribution. Products include permission to use the source code, design documents, or content of the product. The open-source model is a decentralized software development model that encourages open collaboration.
A main principle of open-source software development is peer production, with products such as source code, blueprints, and documentation freely available to the public. The open-source movement in software began as a response to the limitations of proprietary code. The model is used for projects such as in open-source appropriate technology, and open-source drug discovery.
Barack Obama and Dakota Meyer drinking White House Honey Ale in 2011. The recipe is available for free.
VIA OpenBook is an open-source hardware laptop reference design.
