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The Open Source Definition
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==Criteria== [[Source-available software|Providing access to the source code]] is not enough for software to be considered "open-source".<ref>{{cite book |last1=Greenleaf |first1=Graham |last2=Lindsay |first2=David |title=Public Rights: Copyright's Public Domains |date=2018 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-1-107-13406-5 |page=485 |language=en}}</ref> The Open Source Definition requires that ten criteria be met:<ref name="v459">{{cite book | last=Erlich | first=Zippy | title=Handbook of Research on Open Source Software | chapter=Open Source Software | publisher=IGI Global | year=2007 | pages=187–188|isbn=978-1591409991}}</ref><ref name="b733">{{cite book | last1=Gardler | first1=Ross | last2=Walli | first2=Stephen R | title=Open Source Law, Policy and Practice | chapter=Evolving Perspective on Community and Governance | publisher=Oxford University PressOxford | date=2022 | isbn=978-0-19-886234-5 | doi=10.1093/oso/9780198862345.003.0002 | page=47–48, 52}}</ref> #Free redistribution<ref name="v459"/> #[[Source code]] must be accessible and the license must permit redistribution in the form of source code (rather than [[object code]]).<ref name="v459"/> In order to modify the software, access to source code is required.<ref name="Laurent"/> #[[Derivative work]]s must be allowed and able to be redistributed under the same licensing terms as the open-source product<ref name="v459"/> #The license may require that the original software be distributed intact, but only if modifications are able to be distributed as [[software patch|patches]] without restriction.<ref name="v459"/><ref name="Laurent"/> #No discrimination between users<ref name="v459"/> #No discrimination between uses, including commercial use<ref name="v459"/> #Everyone who receives a copy of the program is granted all the open-source rights<ref name="v459"/> #The license must cover all the code, not a particular product or distribution.<ref name="v459"/><ref name="Laurent"/> #There may not be restrictions on other software distributed at the same time<ref name="v459"/> #Technological neutrality—cannot restrict use to any particular technology.<ref name="v459"/> For example, a license that requires a user to [[clickwrap|click a box agreeing to it]] is not free because the work cannot be distributed as a paper copy.<ref name="Laurent"/> The Open Source Definition is available under a [[Creative Commons]] (CC BY 4.0) license.<ref name="Mertic">{{cite book |last1=Mertic |first1=John |title=Open Source Projects - Beyond Code: A blueprint for scalable and sustainable open source projects |date=2023 |publisher=Packt Publishing Ltd |isbn=978-1-83763-385-2 |page=5 |language=en}}</ref> It covers both [[copyleft]]—where redistribution and derivative works must be released under a free license—and [[permissive license]]s—where derivative works can be released under any license. It is part of the [[open source movement]] rather than the free software movement, and seeks to promote the availability of open-source software for anyone seeking to reuse it, even the makers of [[proprietary software]].<ref name="b733"/><ref>{{cite book |last1=Meeker |first1=Heather J. |title=The Open Source Alternative: Understanding Risks and Leveraging Opportunities |date=2008 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |isbn=978-0-470-25581-0 |pages=21–22 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="Laurent">{{cite book |last1=Laurent |first1=Andrew M. St |title=Understanding Open Source and Free Software Licensing: Guide to Navigating Licensing Issues in Existing & New Software |date=2004 |publisher=O'Reilly Media, Inc. |isbn=978-0-596-55395-1 |pages=9–11 |language=en}}</ref> It does not address warranty disclaimers, although these are very common in open-source software.<ref name="Laurent"/> The definition does not specify a governance structure for open-source projects.<ref name="b733"/>
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