Many advocates argue that open source software is inherently safer because any person can view, edit, and change code. A study of the Linux source code has 0.17 bugs per 1000 lines of code while proprietary software generally scores 20–30 bugs per 1000 lines.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open-source_software
A common concern for end-users who wish to use open source software is the lack of a warranty and technical support. Because the software's license encourages modification and customization, it is nearly impossible to support.
http://computer.howstuffworks.com/question435.htm
Although the OSI definition of open source software is widely accepted, a small number of people and organizations use the term to refer to software where the source is available for viewing, but which may not legally be modified or redistributed.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open-source_software
As a global non-profit, The Open Source Initiative (OSI) protects and promotes Open Source, championing Open Source in society through education, collaboration, and infrastructure, stewarding the Open Source Definition (OSD), and preventing abuse of the Open Source concept.
https://opensource.org/
Life » Article How open source took me from a beginner coder to a credited contributor Scott Junner shares how attending a free software workshop helped him make meaningful contributions to open source software.
http://opensource.com/
Founded in 1998, the Open Source Initiative protects and promotes open source by providing a foundation for community success. It champions open source in society through education, infrastructure and collaboration.
https://opensource.org/
When an author contributes code to an open-source project (e.g., Apache.org) they do so under an explicit license (e.g., the Apache Contributor License Agreement) or an implicit license (e.g. the open-source license under which the project is already licensing code).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open-source_software
To be considered as open source software by the software development industry, certain criteria must be met: 1  The program must be freely distributed (It can be part of a package that is sold though, such as Red Hat has done with Linux in the example below). 2  Source code must be included. 3  Anyone must be allowed to modify the source code. 4  Modified ...
http://computer.howstuffworks.com/question435.htm
The source code is included with the compiled version and modification or customization is actually encouraged. The software developers who support the open source concept believe that by allowing anyone who's interested to modify the source code, the application will be more useful and error-free over the long term.
http://computer.howstuffworks.com/question435.htm
Open-source software (OSS) is computer software with its source code made available with a license in which the copyright holder provides the rights to study, change, and distribute the software to anyone and for any purpose. Open-source software may be developed in a collaborative public manner. Open-source software is the most prominent example of open-source development and often compared to (technically defined) user-generated content or (legally defined) open-content movements.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open-source_software
what is open source
An open source is a software where the source is available for viewing, but which may not legally be modified or redistributed. Open Source is software where the source is available for viewing, but which may not legally be modified or redistributed.