libre office is a free and open source software

This restrictive licensing led to the inconvenience and dislike of people who were used to and fond of modifying software. In the late 70s and early 80s, the manufacturer’s stopped distributing source code in an attempt to not let their software run on their competitor’s computers. The limited amount of software used to come for free or with their source code and the users were allowed to modify the source code to suit their needs. They were mainly used by academics in universities or researchers in labs.

In the 60s and 70s, computers were hardware focused and the hardware was expensive. This principle allows others to contribute to developing and improving a software like a community. It means that the software's source code is open for all and anyone is free to use, study and modify the code. It doesn’t mean the software is free of cost. What is FOSS?įOSS means Free and Open Source Software. Here, I am discussing the FOSS principle in software.

The distinction is important because FOSS is a generic world and it could mean different depending on the context. It was about time that I explained what is FOSS in Linux and the software world.

I have been asked this question numerous times in the past. What does FOSS in It’s FOSS mean? What is FOSS?

Libre office is a free and open source software