Open Options | What does "open" mean?

Open source software is open because both the creation process and the product are open. Anyone can help create the program. Once it's complete, anyone can change it, copy it, or redistribute it.

More about source code... To add new features or fix bugs, a programmer needs the source code. Most software is proprietary, which means it's created and distributed under the proprietary model. Only the company has the source code, so only company programmers can add features or fix bugs. This model is also called "closed source" to emphasize the differences with open source.

Implications of closed source... The open source movement is a response to the proprietary, closed source software model. Open source proponents argue the proprietary model has unacceptable disadvantages, especially in compatibility, quality control, safety and security, and potential monopolies.

Examples in word processing... These examples illustrate some differences between proprietary software and open source.

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This Web site was developed and maintained by the Northwest Educational Technology Consortium. The federal funding for the regional technology consortia program ended on September 30, 2005, and no further updates are planned unless additional funding becomes available. However, much of the content is still useful and NWREL will continue to provide access to this site to support educators and to meet its own technical assistance needs.