Jump to content

Free and open-source software

From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Open-source software)

Free and open source software (for short: FOSS, means free software and/or open source software) is software whose source code is open and available to anyone who wishes to:

  • improve it,
  • study it,
  • modify it, and
  • share the original and the modifications with others.[1][2]

These additional rights are generally granted to the user through the GPL, LGPL, or BSD license.[3]

[change | change source]


  1. ↑ "What is FOSS? What is Open Source? Are They the Same Thing?". It's FOSS. 2020-09-26. Retrieved 2026-10-28.
  2. ↑ Fortunato, Laura; Galassi, Mark (2021-03-29). "The case for free and open source software in research and scholarship". Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A. 379 (2197). doi:10.1098/RSTA.2020.0079. PMID 33775148.
  3. ↑ "Which License to Use for Open Source Projects?". It's FOSS. 2017-02-26. Retrieved 2026-10-28.
Retrieved from "https://simple.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Free_and_open-source_software&oldid=11044362"