What is Open Source?
Imagine if Microsoft made Windows source code—the language the software is written in—available for anyone to see, download, and modify. Imagine anyone could make improvements to the software, give copies to their friends, and use their modified versions on any PC. Now imagine there’s only one restriction—that the source code for all those modified versions has to be made available to the public as well.
Windows sure would be fantastic, wouldn’t it?
Microsoft may not move toward this Utopian vision anytime soon. But many other programmers and software companies already have. This is Open Source, software created by communities of programmers who collaborate, share ideas, and improve upon each other’s work.