point wise difference between free software and open source software
Answers
Answer:
The Differences Between Free and Open-Source Software
As far as most people are concerned, the difference in meaning between “free software” and “open-source software” is negligible, and comes from a slight difference in approach or philosophy. As the Open Source Initiative sees it, both terms mean the same thing, and they can be used interchangeably in just about any context. They simply prefer the “open source” label because they believe it provides a clearer description of the software and its creators’ intent for how it should be used.
For the “free software” camp, though, “open source” doesn’t fully convey the importance of the movement and the potential long-term social problems caused by proprietary software. The Free Software Foundation sees OSI as being too concerned with promoting the practical benefits of non-proprietary software (including its profitability and the efficiency of a community-driven development model), and not concerned enough with the ethical issue of restricting users’ rights to change and improve code on their own terms.
Whether or not a given piece of software is free or open-source depends on which license it’s distributed under and whether that license is approved by the Open Source Initiative, the Free Software Foundation, or both. There’s a good deal of overlap between which licenses are approved by which organization, but there are a few exceptions. For example, the NASA Open Source Agreement is an OSI-approved license which the FSF views as too restrictive. Thus, the FSF discourages anyone from using software distributed under that license. Generally speaking, though, there’s a good chance that if it can be described as free software, it will fit the definition of open-source software as well.
Alternative Names
Over the years, several other names for this kind of software have been proposed to put an end to this debate. “Free and open-source software”—oftentimes shortened to “FOSS”—is one of the most widely used, and is considered to be a safe neutral between the two. The term “libre software” (“libre” being derived from several Romance languages and roughly meaning “the state of liberty”) has gained a following of its own, so much so that the acronym “FLOSS” (meaning “free/libre and open-source software) has also become fairly common.
It should be noted that both free and open-source software are distinct from software in the public domain. Free and open-source software defines its freedoms through its licensing, while public domain software may adhere to some of the same virtues but does so by falling outside the licensing system. An important distinction of both free and open-source software is that works based on free or open-source source code must also be distributed with a FOSS license. Software released into the public domain does not have this requirement.
Another issue with public domain software stems from the fact that not every country in the world recognizes non-copyrighted content. This makes it impossible to make a globally recognized statement that a piece of software is in the public domain. Thus neither the FSF nor the OSI encourage developers to release software into the public domain.
Conclusion
The terms “free software” and “open-source software” are interchangeable for most contexts, and whether someone prefers one over the other usually comes down to a matter of semantics or their philosophical outlook. However, for many programmers that are looking to develop software and get it out to the public or for activists hoping to change the way people see and interact with technology, the difference can be an important one. Thus, when releasing new software, it’s essential to carefully weigh the pros and cons of different licenses—including proprietary licenses—and choose the one that best suits your particular needs.
If you’re interested in learning more about which software license is right for your next project, the Free Software Foundation’s License List provides detailed descriptions of both free and non-free licenses. Additionally, the Open Source Initiative’s Licenses & Standards page may also be of interest .