Knowra Open-source software Open-source software Software distributed under licenses that permit users to inspect, modify, and redistribute its source code. Its terms support collaborative development and reuse.
Open-source license : A software license granting permissions to use, inspect, modify, and redistribute source code under stated conditions. These licenses define which freedoms and obligations make a project open source.
Free software movement : A movement advocating users’ freedom to run, study, modify, and share software. Its principles and licensing work shaped the freedoms adopted by open-source projects.
Proprietary software : Software whose license restricts access to source code or limits users’ rights to modify and redistribute it. It contrasts with the permissions that define open-source distribution.
Linux : An open-source operating-system kernel first released by Linus Torvalds in 1991. Linux demonstrates how a shared kernel can support many independently maintained systems.
Version control : A system for recording changes to files so revisions can be tracked, compared, and combined. It lets contributors coordinate changes while preserving the project’s development history.
Richard Stallman : An American programmer who founded the GNU Project and helped establish the free software movement. His campaign for software freedom set the ideological groundwork for open source.
Free software : Software whose users have the freedom to run, study, modify, and share it. The term emphasizes user freedoms, while open source often stresses practical development benefits.
Mozilla Firefox : A free and open-source web browser developed by Mozilla and contributors. Firefox shows open-source development applied to a widely used consumer application.
Git : A distributed version-control system that tracks changes to files and supports collaborative software development. Many open-source projects use Git to exchange and review contributions.
GNU Project : A project launched in 1983 to develop a free Unix-like operating system and its components. Its tools and licenses became foundational parts of open-source computing.
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