Explain FOSS: Difference between revisions
No edit summary |
|||
| (18 intermediate revisions by the same user not shown) | |||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
{{#seo: | |||
|title=Explaining FOSS, FLOSS, and OSS: Open Source Software Concepts - mintarc | |||
|description=Understand the differences between FOSS, FLOSS, and OSS, and their impact on modern computing. Explore their ethical and practical benefits for Japanese businesses. | |||
|keywords=FOSS, FLOSS, OSS, open source software, free software, licensing, GNU, OSI, software freedom, Richard Stallman, Japanese businesses | |||
|image=https://mintarc.com/minthome/images/thumb/2/2e/Logo_with_name.png/150px-Logo_with_name.png | |||
|image_alt=mintarc logo with name | |||
|type=article | |||
|site_name=mintarc | |||
|locale=en_US | |||
}} | |||
[mailto:questions@mintarc.com '''Email Us'''] | |||
|TEL:''' 050-1720-0641''' | [https://www.linkedin.com/company/mintarc/about/?viewAsMember=true|MintArc '''LinkedIn'''] | |||
[[File:Logo_with_name.png|frameless|left|upright=.5|link=https://mintarc.com/minthome/index.php?title=Welcome_to_mintarc|alt=Mintarc]] | |||
{| border="0" style="margin: auto; text-align: center; width: 70%;" | |||
|- | |||
| <span class="static-button">[https://matomo.mintarc.com/mediawiki/index.php?title=Main_Page Mintarc Forge]</span> | |||
|| <span class="static-button">[https://matomo.mintarc.com/mautic/contact-en Contact Us]</span> | |||
|| <span class="static-button">[https://matomo.mintarc.com/mautic/english-news-letter News Letter]</span> | |||
|| <span class="static-button">[https://mintarc.com/minthome/index.php?title=Blog_English Blog]</span> | |||
|| <span class="static-button">[https://mintarc.com/minthome/index.php?title=Mintarc:About#Business_Partnerships Partners]</span> | |||
|- | |||
| style="width: 1%; word-wrap: break-word; white-space: normal;" | '''Collaboration''' | |||
| style="width: 1%; word-wrap: break-word; white-space: normal;" | '''Questions?''' | |||
| style="width: 1%; word-wrap: break-word; white-space: normal;" | '''Monthly Letter''' | |||
| style="width: 1%; word-wrap: break-word; white-space: normal;" | '''Monthly Blog''' | |||
| style="width: 1%; word-wrap: break-word; white-space: normal;" | '''Our Partners''' | |||
|} | |||
= Explaining OSS, FOSS, FLOSS = | = Explaining OSS, FOSS, FLOSS = | ||
Free and open-source software (FOSS) and free/libre and open-source software (FLOSS) are terms that describe software that grants users significant rights and freedoms to use, study, modify, and distribute it. These concepts are deeply rooted in the history of computing, ethics, and the philosophy of collaboration. To fully understand these terms, we must explore their origins, philosophical underpinnings, licensing frameworks, and the communities that sustain them. | Free and open-source software (FOSS) and free/libre and open-source software (FLOSS) are terms that describe software that grants users significant rights and freedoms to use, study, modify, and distribute it. These concepts are deeply rooted in the history of computing, ethics, and the philosophy of collaboration. To fully understand these terms, we must explore their origins, philosophical underpinnings, licensing frameworks, and the communities that sustain them. | ||
| Line 17: | Line 45: | ||
== FOSS: Free and Open-Source Software == | == FOSS: Free and Open-Source Software == | ||
The term FOSS—free and open-source software—emerged as a way to unify these two movements under a single banner while acknowledging their shared goals of openness and collaboration. FOSS recognizes that both free software advocates (focused on ethical imperatives) and open-source proponents (focused on practical benefits) contribute to a larger ecosystem of freely available tools that empower users. By combining "free" with "open source," FOSS emphasizes both user freedoms and collaborative development models without prioritizing one over the other. This inclusivity has made FOSS a widely accepted term in academic, governmental, and corporate contexts where neutrality between the two philosophies is desired. | The term FOSS—free and open-source software—emerged as a way to unify these two movements under a single banner while acknowledging their shared goals of openness and collaboration. FOSS recognizes that both free software advocates (focused on ethical imperatives) and open-source proponents (focused on practical benefits) contribute to a larger ecosystem of freely available tools that empower users. By combining "free" with "open source," FOSS emphasizes both user freedoms and collaborative development models without prioritizing one over the other. This inclusivity has made FOSS a widely accepted term in academic, governmental, and corporate contexts where neutrality between the two philosophies is desired. | ||
== FLOSS: Free/Libre and Open-Source Software == | |||
FLOSS free/libre and open-source software takes inclusivity a step further by explicitly incorporating "libre" into its name. This addition addresses linguistic ambiguity around the word "free," which can mean either "without cost" or "with freedom" depending on context. FLOSS is particularly popular in non-English-speaking regions where such ambiguity might cause confusion. For example, in languages like Spanish or French, "libre" clearly conveys freedom as opposed to cost ("gratis"). FLOSS is often used in international policy discussions, academic research, and global initiatives where clarity about user freedoms is essential. | |||
'''Philosophical Differences Between Free Software and Open Source''' | |||
Although FOSS/FLOSS attempts to unify these movements, there remain philosophical differences between free software advocates and open-source proponents: | |||
#Ethics vs Pragmatism: Free software emphasizes ethical concerns about user rights. Richard Stallman argues that proprietary software disrespects users by denying them control over their computing environment. Open source focuses more on practical benefits like better-quality code through collaboration. | |||
#Terminology: Free software advocates criticize "open source" for downplaying issues of freedom and ethics. They argue that focusing solely on practical benefits risks ignoring broader societal implications of proprietary control over technology. | |||
#Licensing Preferences: Free software advocates often prefer copyleft licenses like the GNU General Public License (GPL), which require derivative works to remain free under similar terms. Open-source proponents may favor permissive licenses like MIT or Apache that impose fewer restrictions on how modified versions are distributed. | |||
'''Impact of FOSS/FLOSS''' | |||
FOSS/FLOSS has revolutionized modern computing by enabling widespread collaboration across industries and borders. Projects like Linux (an operating system kernel), Apache (a web server), MySQL (a database system), Python (a programming language), and LibreOffice (an office suite) demonstrate how open development models can produce high-quality tools used by millions worldwide. Governments have adopted FOSS/FLOSS for cost savings and technological sovereignty; educational institutions use it for teaching programming concepts; startups leverage it for rapid prototyping; corporations integrate it into their products while contributing back improvements. | |||
Despite its success, challenges remain such as funding sustainability for maintainers of critical projects or addressing security vulnerabilities in widely used libraries like OpenSSL. However, FOSS/FLOSS continues evolving through initiatives like GitHub sponsorships or community-driven funding platforms. | |||
FOSS/FLOSS represents more than just a technical model it embodies a vision for how technology can serve society ethically while fostering innovation through openness. By understanding its history, principles, licenses, and impact on modern computing ecosystems globally you gain insight into why this movement remains vital today amidst debates over AI ethics or digital privacy rights shaping our future technological landscape | |||