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commercial software is made for profit. it is maintained by a company, and it's code is a trade secret, hidden, "closed source", because you can't see it (and therefore steal it)

open source software is free to use. it is created not for profit, typically maintained by a community of individuals. its code is free for everyone to look at, modify, steal, etc.

sometimes you will have trouble downloading open source software - make sure you download the "windows binaries" or "windows compile" and not the source code

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14y ago
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16y ago

Open Access pertains similar principles and goals to publication (of mostly academic research), where Open Source does apply to computer program source code. See related links below for details.

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14y ago

Proprietary software is protected by copyright laws, and people who don't own the rights to the code can't legally use it without the copyright owner's permission, which usually involves paying license fees. The description "proprietary" indicates exclusive ownership. In the case of software, that means that somebody exclusively owns the rights to use the code that makes up the software, and he can stop you from using it if he wants to. An example of propriety software is Microsoft XP. The opposite of "proprietary" software is "open-source" software, for which the source code is openly published on the internet and available to everyone for free. Anyone is allowed to download and use open-source software without fear of being sued. Developers of open-source code often encourage users to build on what they've done in creating the software. An example of open-source software is Ubuntu. A growing number of businesses are beginning to use open-source applications software because of the substantial cost savings. That way, they can avoid having to pay hefty license fees to Microsoft and other developers of proprietary software. As the open source community develops more sophisticated applications, the number of open source users will increase.

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14y ago

software usually are being sold so their programmers and developers do not want other people seeing their codes so they lock and hidden their code. reverse an open source software is a software which it's codes are free too see so programmers develop them and personalize them for their self and sometimes for others that's why the operating system Linux is so strong because it is open source and it have been developed by many programmers and become more and more strong.

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9y ago

Open source software is usually free and its source code is available to anyone who wants modify or enhance it. On the contrary, close source software, also referred to as proprietary software, has its source code only available for modification to the team, person or organization that created it.

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11y ago

My best guess is "the spirit of sharing and colaborating freely" with others, as for free software being "free" not necesarily implies its source is also open.

Free software (Freeware) is not the same as open.

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7y ago

a license that allows developers to change and share the source code of the licensed software

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14y ago

In open source software, the source code is disclosed to te public while in closed source it is not.

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Q: What is the difference between open source and closed source software?
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What is the difference between freeware software and open-source software?

Freeware is software for which the author or authors are not seeking monetary compensation. Open-source software is software whose authors have decided to allow other programmers to access the software they have created so as to invite community improvement.


What you prefer open source software or proprietary software?

I prefer open source software.


What is the definition of open source software?

Open source software (OSS) is defined as computer software for which the source code and certain other rights normally reserved for copyright holders are provided under a software license that meets the Open Source Definition or that is in the public domain. This permits users to use, change, and improve the software, and to redistribute it in modified or unmodified forms. It is very often developed in a public, collaborative manner. Open source software is the most prominent example of open source development and often compared to user-generated content. The term open source software originated as part of a marketing campaign for free software. A report by Standish Group states that adoption of open source software models has resulted in savings of about $60 billion per year to consumers.The term open source ("OS") describes a type of production, dissemination and exploitation of software opposed to the so-called "proprietary" way of distribution. OS-software is usually produced in a collaborative process by a web-based community. The ultimate aim is to create stable, compatible and free software. In order to achieve this, the source code is "open" for anyone to see and distributed along with the software and the according license. By these means, any user of the software has access to the code, can learn about it and develop it further Free use, modification and distribution is the core concept of OS. Many, but not all OS-licenses are distributed with a so-called copyleft-clause. Copyleft licenses do not only license the aforementioned types of exploitation, they do so only under the condition of re-distribution under the same license. The Open Source Initiative awards a cachet to all licenses that are in compliance with its Open Source Definition, which is a worldwide acknowledged standard. OS-licenses have been successfully tested in courts.


A switch is connected in a series with a 75-W bulb to a source of 120V. what is the potential difference across the switch when it is closed?

If the switch, light bulb, and source are all connected in series and the switch is ideal (has no resistance), then the switch acts as a short. There is no potential difference across the short.


Is open source software freely developed and continuously improved by a large community of software developers?

Open source refers to code that is distributed outside of the manufacturer's company. Microsoft does not allow the code the programmers write for their programs outside of their company, so their code is proprietary, closed source. OpenOffice allows their code to be used by others. The reason for this is so that others can make improvements and customized enhancements. Open source is almost always free, where proprietary software has to be paid for, and is sometimes quite expensive.

Related questions

What is the difference between open-source and closed-source software?

The answer is in the question itself. Open-source software has it's source code available to everyone. Closed-source software does not.


Is closed source software free?

No, most closed-source software is not free. For example, Microsoft Windows and Microsoft Office are closed-source and not free.


Is all closed-source software free?

No, most closed-source software is not free. For example, Microsoft Windows and Microsoft Office are closed-source and not free.


What are the advantages and disadvantages of the closed source software?

What are the advantages and disadvantages of the close source software ?


What is an Example of closed source software?

Microsoft Windows


What is an example of closed-source software?

microsoft windows


What is the difference between source code and specially written software?

Source code means the form of the software which is the most suitable for human understanding; while 'specially written software' is... well, okay, I admit I have no idea what do you mean by that...


What is the difference between commercial software and open source software ?

An open source program is a program where the source code is freely available for developers to modify and improve. A closed source program can only be modified by the people who have the source code, (eg. The company that made the program). Examples of open source programs would be: Firefox, Google Chrome, Audacity, 7Zip, VLC Media Player, Pidgin ect. Commercial software like Microsoft Windows, Internet Explorer, MSN, Safari ect. is closed source. Also large programs such as operating systems (i.e Linux, Mac OS X) often use mixed source and/or shared source. Mixed source is where some of the program is open source and the rest is closed source. Shared source is where only developers who join a special network (usually non-free), can access the source, and only they can modify and improve the software. The major supporter of shared source software is Microsoft. Also don't get confused. Free software means it can be used without charge, it does not mean it is open source. Shareware does not mean shared source, it means it can only be used for free with fewer features and/or for a limited time (a free trial)


What is the difference between freeware software and open-source software?

Freeware is software for which the author or authors are not seeking monetary compensation. Open-source software is software whose authors have decided to allow other programmers to access the software they have created so as to invite community improvement.


What is an open source software supposed to do?

Open source software is designed to do exactly what its closed source (paid software) counterpart is to do. Open Office for example is free to use and does the same thing as Microsoft office that costs hundreds.


What is the difference between net and php?

.net is a framework based on Microsoft software and is not open source, php is a language which is open source and based on Linux/unix systems


What is difference between a closed system and an open system?

Open source software has the full source code of the software available for other users to inspect, help improve and build upon. Closed source software does not make the source code of the software available to the public.