Everybody likes free stuff. From freecycle to “buy one, get one free” offers, getting something for nothing is a great feeling. It is not surprising that free software has become an important part of the IT ecosystem. What is surprising, however, is the sheer number of people that are willing to spend sleepless nights writing code to give away to their neighbours. Who are not going to even say “thank you”.
Open-source software, as has often been said, is not free as in “free beer”. It is free as in “free speech”, a liberation from the toils of proprietary software makers.
Open source software is available in source code form. Anyone can take it apart, change it, improve and distribute without paying a penny. You can even sell it, as long as you obey the rules of the licence.
Test your knowledge of the open-source software.
And if you score well on that quiz, try some of our others.
Suspended prison sentence for Craig Wright for “flagrant breach” of court order, after his false…
Cash-strapped south American country agrees to sell or discontinue its national Bitcoin wallet after signing…
Google's change will allow advertisers to track customers' digital “fingerprints”, but UK data protection watchdog…
Welcome to Silicon In Focus Podcast: Tech in 2025! Join Steven Webb, UK Chief Technology…
European Commission publishes preliminary instructions to Apple on how to open up iOS to rivals,…
San Francisco jury finds Nima Momeni guilty of second-degree murder of Cash App founder Bob…
View Comments
"One thing you absolutely, positively cannot do with open-source software is sell it."
What???????????? You absolutely can! And, Stallman would be the first to agree.
Either, i have missed something, or the author needs to get a clue about what they speak.
Thank you - we have updated the article now. Can't imagine where that idea came from. Peter