Open-source software is an antonym for closed source source and refers to any computer software whose source code is available under a copyright license that permits users to study, change, and improve the software, and to redistribute it in modified or unmodified form.
Software available free of charge as an alternative to conventional commercial models.
Open source software can be used and disseminated at will, and the source code is open and can be changed as required.
The only condition is that the user make such changes known and pass this information on to others.
Open source software is the shared intellectual property of all developers and users and, thanks to the collaboration, achieves a higher level of quality than software produced using conventional means.
The best known example of open source software is the Linux operating system.