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Crypto Terms:  Letter O
Jul 07, 2023 |
updated: Apr 02, 2024

What is Open-Source Software (OSS)?

Open-Source Software (OSS) Meaning:
Open-Source Software (OSS) - a software that allows anyone to see, alter or distribute its source code.
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Let's find out Open-Source Software (OSS) meaning, definition in crypto, what is Open-Source Software (OSS), and all other detailed facts.

Usually, open-source software (OSS) is produced in an open and collaborative manner by a large number of people. Such projects are driven by the following principles:

  • Transparency
  • Free participation
  • Open exchange
  • Community-oriented development
  • Rapid prototyping

The source code in OOS is accessible to be analyzed, edited, and redistributed by anyone. However, some OOS licenses require the original source code to be displayed next to the modified source code.

Closed-source software is the opposite of OOS. It doesn’t make its source code available to anyone. Therefore, only a specific person, team, or organization that produced it has the authority to alter and allocate it.

Open-source software has a number of benefits compared to proprietary software. Some of the benefits include:

  • OOS principle of open collaboration that leads to a higher-quality product as a result of the open call for participation. This brings in a diverse group of specialists from many sectors.
  • Fixing faults can be faster and cheaper with OOS than with closed-source software. This is the case because a large number of people can address them and have the skill to resolve them.

However, it can take a long time for various participants to agree on strategic decisions. This is because open-source software is produced in a decentralized way, without a single organization guiding the process. Though to deal with this problem, open-source projects use unique governance methods.

Besides, there’s even a movement aimed at making the majority of software available under an open-source license. The movement is called the open-source software movement.

It also aims to advance open-source technology through the collaborative creation of high-quality code. Supporters of the open-source software movement produce and share code voluntarily. They do that because voluntary work is as part of the ideology of open cooperation.