Have you heard the term open source and wondered what it is? Or maybe wondered why it’s so important? Here is a general post to hopefully answer those questions.

What is Open Source? Open Source was a term coined by Christine Peterson way back in 1998 as a way to avoid the term Free Software when Netscape decided to release their code to the masses under the name of Mozilla. According to Wikipedia, open source is defined as practices in production and development that promote access to the end product’s source materials, allowing users to contribute user generated software content. Typically, the source materials referenced in the definition are for the source code, allowing users access to the code that makes the open source software. Despite popular beliefs, open source is more than just software. You can find open source being used in all sorts of areas, including various types of medicine and possible recipes for Coca Cola and Pepsi products.

What are the Benefits of Open Source? With the recent boom in open source popularity, you’d have to think that there are some benefits, right? Of course! With the source code available, everyone can make their own contribution to the software. For example, Mozilla’s Firefox web browser is open source, allowing users of the browser to create extensions or themes that improve the functionality of the browser. This is possible due to open source. Another benefit to open source is the cost. Generally, open source software has little to no cost to use. Production costs are lower when you put the people that use the product to work, helping companies to avoid this cost. This can make a very attractive alternative to some of the bloated software available through major software companies with hefty price tags.

Why is Open Source so Important? As covered in the benefits section, open source is generally a free product. When open source software reaches a high level of quality, making it a legitimate competitor, it can drive down the prices of its competitors to make them more reasonable. You will also often find a nice open source community to go with the product. Large companies with hundreds of coders can’t compete with an open source product that features hundreds of thousands of coders around the world, who are all working to improve a product they love through testing and feedback.

What are some examples of open source software? Here are a few of the most popular open source software currently available:

• Firefox – Web Browser designed as an alternative to Microsoft’s Internet Explorer, Apple’s Safari, and the Opera web browser.
• Thunderbird – Desktop E-mail Client designed as an alternative to Microsoft Outlook.
• The GIMP – GNU Image Manipulation Program, Gimp was designed as a free alternative to Adobe Photoshop.
• OpenOffice – Office Suite designed as an alternative to Microsoft Office.
• ClamWin – Free Anti-Virus software alternative to Norton Anti-Virus.
• KeePass – Free Password Manager gives you a secure way to store and manage your passwords.
• Linux Distributions – Operating System distributions designed as a free alternative to Microsoft’s Windows and Apple’s OS X.

Know of some other popular open source software? Leave a comment below and I will update my post!