What Does "Open Source" Mean?

With the raise of the Internet, information is being shared at amazing speeds and with astounding numbers of people. This has lead to record numbers of people trying to protect their intellectual property and creations with copyrights and trade marks, but it has also given rise to the Open Source movement.

"Open source" literally means that the source of the product is open and available for anyone to copy, use, redistribute and edit. While this term is most commonly used for things like computer programs, it applies to anything who's creation information can be shared. Some examples include food and drink formulas/recipes, pharmaceutical research information, and schematics for machines. The original creator shares the information they have with others, and they in turn can use and study it, thereby adding another person's set of experiences and knowledge to the development of the product that it normally wouldn't have received.

Open source usually means free, but some people do place limitations on what they are sharing. For example, a lab may only share their pharmaceutical information with other accredited labs. One of the most common limitations on open source computer programs is that it cannot be sold. This keeps people from using the information they were given for free to make a product they then sell for a profit. Many people who believe in the open source philosophy believe that information should be free and available to everything, and therefor selling the product made by free information is counter-productive.

Practical Tip of the Day:
Programs that open source usually have several versions available for download from the Internet. Be sure you're downloading from a legitimate source, and that you are downloading the version that works for your computer. Almost all websites that allow you to download a program will give you the system requirements for the program. These are the minimum standards your computer must have for the program to be able to install and run properly. Think of it as the minimum speed on the highway.