Linked from

The 58 pages that link to Open-source software, each with the reason it gives.

• Public goodsRelated: Its reproducible copies can be used by many people, while contributors often rely on shared incentives.

• Intellectual propertyCompared with: It uses intellectual-property rights to authorize broad reuse rather than exclude it.

• Gift economyRelated: Contributors often share labor and code without direct payment for each contribution.

• Consensus decision-makingRelated: Some open-source communities use consensus processes to settle project direction and contributions.

• Diffusion of innovationsBroader topic: Its adoption can depend on visible use, community participation, and network effects.

• Version controlRelated: Public revision histories help distributed communities coordinate contributions.

• Creator economyCompared with: Its collaborative, often noncommercial production contrasts with creator markets built around individual audience monetization.

• Computer programmingRelated: Shared source code enables collective development and inspection of programs.

• Source codeRelated: Its defining practices make source code available under an open-source license.

• Platform economyCompared with: Open-source projects distribute control differently from proprietary platforms that govern access centrally.

• MicrosoftCompared with: Microsoft’s historical proprietary-software model later intersected with open-source development and communities.

• Online communityBroader topic: Contributor communities coordinate software development across distance.

• Apple Inc.Compared with: Open-source development contrasts with Apple’s generally closed, centrally managed software platforms.

• Open scienceRelated: Open code exposes computational methods and enables their reuse.

• Content management systemCompared with: Open-source systems offer a different balance of control, support, and customization.

• Free-rider problemRelated: Users can benefit from shared code while contributing little to its maintenance.

• Bill GatesCompared with: The open-source model challenged Microsoft’s proprietary software business.

• CrowdfundingRelated: Its communities pioneered collective support for shared projects before crowdfunding platforms became widespread.

• Proprietary softwareCompared with: Its licensing model makes source access and collaboration explicit.

• LinuxNarrower topic: Linux belongs to the broader open-source movement, though the kernel's license is specifically the GPL.

• Richard StallmanCompared with: The open-source movement shares many practices with free software but emphasizes different motivations.

• Software as a serviceCompared with: Open-source describes licensing, not hosting; SaaS can use open-source code without distributing it to users.

• CopyleftNarrower topic: Copyleft licenses are a major family of licenses used to make software open source.

• Device driverRelated: Open-source drivers can be audited, adapted, and maintained beyond a vendor’s support period.

• DIY ethicRelated: Its collaborative production and shared distribution extend DIY principles into software.

• GNU General Public LicenseNarrower topic: The GPL is a major license within the open-source ecosystem.

• GNU ProjectCompared with: The open-source movement shares many practices with GNU but emphasizes practical benefits rather than ethical freedom.

• Vendor lock-inCompared with: Access to source code can support self-hosting or replacement, but dependencies may remain.

• Common ownershipRelated: Collaborative development and shared access show how common resources can be maintained without common legal ownership.

• History of computingCompared with: It offers a collaborative alternative to proprietary models that grew with commercial computing.

• Internet Engineering Task ForceCompared with: IETF specifications define interoperable behavior; open-source projects implement software that follows such specifications.

• CommercializationCompared with: It shows how products can be shared openly even when organizations pursue commercial activity.

• Free softwareCompared with: It often describes the same software, but emphasizes practical development benefits rather than ethical freedom.

• Free Software FoundationCompared with: Open-source and free software often describe the same licenses but emphasize different values.

• SharewareCompared with: Shareware is a payment model, not a promise that source code or modification rights are available.

• Free software movementCompared with: Open source often shares the same licenses but frames their significance differently.

• Application softwareRelated: Open-source licensing enables application code to be inspected, adapted, and redistributed under its terms.

• CrowdsourcingRelated: Open-source projects may use crowdsourced contributions, but openness of code is not itself crowdsourcing.

• Information and communications technologyCompared with: It contrasts with proprietary ICT software by allowing users to inspect and adapt code.

• Software developmentRelated: Its development often coordinates contributions across organizations and public communities.

• Entertainment (industry)Compared with: Its collaborative licensing model differs from proprietary commercial entertainment software.

• John CarmackRelated: Carmack released source code for several id Software engines, enabling ports and study.

• Sun MicrosystemsNarrower topic: Sun’s releases of Java and Solaris source code connected the company to open-source development.

• VolunteeringRelated: Contributors often volunteer programming, documentation, and maintenance to shared projects.

• Aaron SwartzNarrower topic: Swartz’s early technical work grew from a culture of freely shared, reusable software.

• Linus TorvaldsNarrower topic: Linux and Git grew through publicly accessible code and contributions from many developers.

• Marc AndreessenRelated: Netscape’s source-code release became a prominent early example of a commercial company embracing open development.

• Free-culture movementRelated: Its collaborative production offers a prominent model for shared cultural creation.

• SoftwareCompared with: Open-source licensing makes code available under terms distinct from closed distribution.

• Steve BallmerCompared with: Ballmer’s early criticism of open-source software contrasts with Microsoft’s later adoption and support of it.