User:Mohdzia123/sandbox

FREE AND OPEN-SOURCE SOFTWARE Free and open-source software (FOSS)          Free and open-source software (FOSS) is computer software that can be classified as both free software and open-source software.[a] That is, anyone is freely licensed to use, copy, study, and change the software in any way, and the source code is openly shared so that people are encouraged to voluntarily improve the design of the software.[3] This is in contrast to proprietary software, where the software is under restrictive copyright and the source code is usually hidden from the users. The benefits of using FOSS can include decreasing software costs, increasing security and stability (especially in regard tomalware), protecting privacy, and giving users more control over their own hardware. Free, open-source operating systems such as Linux and descendents of BSD are widely utilized today, powering millions of servers, desktops, smartphones (e.g.Android), and other devices.[4][5] Free software licenses and open-source licenses are used by many software packages. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_and_open-source_software#Free_software Free software Free software, freedom-respecting software, software libre, or libre software[1][2] is computer software distributed under terms that allow users to run the software for any purpose as well as to study, change, and distribute the software and any adapted versions.[3][4][5][6][7] The right to study and modify software entails access to its source code. For computer programs that are covered by copyright law, this is achieved with a software license by which the author grants users the aforementioned freedom. Software that is not covered by copyright law, such as software in the public domain, is free if the source code is in the public domain, or otherwise available without restrictions. Other legal and technical aspects, such assoftware patents and digital rights management may restrict users in exercising their rights, and thus prevent software from being free.[8] Free software may be developed collaboratively by volunteer computer programmers or by corporations; as part of a commercial, for-profit activity or not. Free software is a matter of liberty, not price: users, individually or collectively, are free to do what they want with it, including the freedom to redistribute the software free of charge, or to sell it, or charge for related services such as support or warranty for profit.[9] Free software thus differs from proprietary software, such as Microsoft Office, Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides or iWork from Apple, which users cannot study, change, and share. Free software is also different thanfreeware, which is a category of freedom-restricting proprietary software that does not require payment for use. Proprietary software, including freeware, use restrictive software licences or EULAs and usually do not provide access to the source code. Users are thus prevented from changing the software, and this results in the user relying on the publisher to provide updates, help, and support. This situation is called vendor lock-in. Users often may not reverse engineer, modify, or redistribute proprietary software. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_software Open source Open-source software (OSS) is computer software with its source code made available with a licensein which the copyright holder provides the rights to study, change, and distribute the software to anyone and for any purpose.[1] Open-source software may be developed in a collaborative public manner. Open-source software is the most prominent example of open-source development.[2] The open-source model, or collaborative development from multiple independent sources, generates an increasingly more diverse scope of design perspective than any one company is capable of developing and sustaining long term. A report by the Standish Group (from 2008) states that adoption of open-source software models has resulted in savings of about $60 billion per year to consumers. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open-source_software