In part 1 and part 2 of this article I have introduced the open source concept, and discussed the reason software developers are adopting it. In the third and final part, below, we will discuss the risks of distributing the source code together with the software itself, the pros and cons of open source from the perspective of the end user, as well as, the reasons why IT giants are strategically getting involved in open source development.
In the first part of this article I have introduced the open source concept. In the second part, hereunder, we will further discuss the open source idea, its definitions and principals.
Introduction
In recent years, the open source movement has established a respectful position in the software industry. Many enterprises have embraced open source platform and applications and some of the software giants has adopted open source strategically: IBM, Novell, Oracle and even Google, to name a few.
There is some confusion in regards to the relation between freeware and free software. Some claim freeware is not free software. Is there or isn’t there a difference between the two.
