Explain FOSS

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.

Open-Source Software (OSS)

Open-source software (OSS) refers to software whose source code is made publicly available. The source code is the human-readable set of instructions that developers write to create a program. By making this code available, OSS allows anyone to view, modify, and share the software. The term "open source" was formally introduced in 1998 by the Open Source Initiative (OSI), a nonprofit organization founded by Bruce Perens and Eric S. Raymond. The OSI sought to rebrand what was traditionally called "free software" to make it more appealing to businesses and mainstream developers. They emphasized the practical benefits of open collaboration: improved software quality, faster innovation cycles, enhanced security through transparency, and reduced development costs.

The OSI also established the Open Source Definition (OSD), which outlines the criteria a license must meet to be considered open source. These criteria include allowing free redistribution of the software, providing access to source code, permitting modifications and derived works, and ensuring that no restrictions are placed on how the software can be used. Examples of popular open-source licenses include the MIT License, Apache License 2.0, and GNU General Public License (GPL). While OSS focuses on practical benefits like collaboration and efficiency, it does not necessarily emphasize ethical considerations or user rights as strongly as free software does.

Free Software

Free software is a term coined by Richard Stallman in 1983 when he launched the GNU Project—a free operating system intended to provide users with complete control over their computing environment. In 1985, Stallman founded the Free Software Foundation (FSF) to promote what he described as "software freedom." The FSF defines free software based on four essential freedoms:

   Freedom 0: The freedom to run the program for any purpose.
   Freedom 1: The freedom to study how the program works and change it to make it do what you wish. Access to source code is a precondition for this.
   Freedom 2: The freedom to redistribute copies so you can help others.
   Freedom 3: The freedom to distribute modified versions of the program so others can benefit from your changes.

The word "free" in this context refers not to price but to liberty—freedom from restrictions imposed by proprietary software licenses. To avoid confusion with "free as in beer," Stallman often uses the term "libre," which is derived from Romance languages like Spanish and French. Free software is built on an ethical foundation: users should have control over their computing devices rather than being subject to restrictions imposed by software vendors. Proprietary software violates these principles by keeping source code secret, restricting modifications, and imposing licensing terms that limit redistribution or sharing.