What Is Open Source?

摘要

Technically speaking, "open source" describes a license that meets a set of criteria defined by the Open Source Initiative (OSI). The OSI certifies more than 50 licenses as being open source, but some licenses are more restrictive than others. It is important to understand the licensing terms of the open source software that you use because that will determine what you can legally do with it, as well as what your obligation to the community is. For example, some licenses require you to submit any innovations back to the community. Of course, many people associate open source with "free," but open source adherents like to distinguish between Free-as-in-Beer versus Free-as-in-Speech.