Imagine a bustling open market filled with craftspeople showcasing their work. You can walk through, take a closer look, and if you wish, use or build upon any item you find. This is the spirit of open source software: a community-driven approach where everyone benefits from shared knowledge and collaboration. At the heart of this movement is OSI—the Open Source Initiative—an organization that ensures everyone plays by the same fair rules.
The OSI doesn’t just promote open source; it acts as a guardian, laying down essential ground rules to protect the core values of transparency, freedom, and collaboration. Here’s what these rules look like in simple terms:
1. Free Distribution
Think of it as giving away a recipe. You can pass it on without anyone needing to pay a fee. Open source licenses ensure that no one can charge for simply redistributing the software.
2. Source Code Availability
It’s like sharing not just the dish but the recipe itself. Open source software must come with the source code, and there can’t be barriers to sharing it further.
3. Derived Works
Want to tweak that recipe and make it your own? Go ahead! Open source licenses must allow users to modify the code and share their new versions under the same terms.
4. Integrity of the Author’s Source Code
If you decide to change the recipe drastically, you might need to give it a new name. Similarly, some licenses require users to remove the original author’s name or version if they significantly modify the code.
5. No Discrimination Against Persons or Groups
Open source doesn’t pick favorites. The license must allow everyone—regardless of who they are—to use the software.
6. No Discrimination Against Fields of Endeavor
Whether you’re using the code for a school project or a big commercial venture, open source licenses can’t impose restrictions based on the purpose.
7. Distribution of License
Imagine passing on a recipe and then adding extra rules that tie someone’s hands. Not allowed. The license must travel with the code, and there can’t be new restrictions added along the way.
8. License Independence
You can’t say, “This software can only be part of a specific product.” The license must be flexible, not tied to a particular program or suite.
9. Compatibility with Other Software
Open source plays well with others. The license can’t stop someone from packaging the software alongside non-open source programs.
10. Technology Neutrality
The license has to be agnostic about how the code is distributed—whether it’s via a USB drive or downloaded from the cloud, it’s all fair game.
Popular Open Source Licenses Explained
LGPL (Lesser General Public License)
Think of this as a flexible agreement for libraries. It allows other programs to use the library without fully adopting its open source license. It’s ideal when you want to share, but also let other projects include the code without needing to be entirely open source themselves.
BSD (Berkeley Software Distribution)
The BSD license is generous: you can take the code, use it, and even modify it, as long as you keep the original BSD copyright notice intact. Just don’t use the names of the original contributors to sell your version. Importantly, you’re not required to share your changes.
MIT License
Think of the MIT license as BSD’s minimalist cousin. It has similar rules but skips the part about using contributor names for endorsements.
Mozilla Public License (MPL)
The MPL is detailed, covering not just code sharing but how contributors interact. It applies to projects like the Firefox browser. If you use and change the code, you need to document those changes, so everyone is clear about what’s been modified. The MPL also highlights patent considerations to keep everyone informed about potential legal issues.
The Takeaway
Open source software isn’t just about having the code freely available; it’s about fostering an environment where ideas can grow, spread, and evolve without unnecessary constraints. As Eric S. Raymond once said, “Given enough eyeballs, all bugs are shallow,” meaning that with more people looking at and contributing to the code, problems are more easily found and solved.
References
Open Source Initiative. Available at: https://opensource.org
The Linux Foundation. Available at: https://www.linuxfoundation.org
Negus, C. Linux Bible.
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