Open source is software where the original source code has been made freely available to others to use, redistribute, and modify.
This way of providing technology typically refers to software, but it is now often used to identify a set of values, the ‘open source way’.
The open source way refers to a set of values such as an open exchange of work, collaborative participation, rapid prototyping, transparency, and community development.
What are the advantages of using open source?
Open source has grown in popularity significantly over the past decade and is now used by many companies, even those driven by proprietary technologies, as a way of speeding development.
One of the advantages of open source is that it helps to prevent vendor lock in, as typically the technology is driven and maintained by a community that connects with other open source projects.
This makes it easier for businesses to switch between technologies as they are not tied into long term contracts.
