Jacqueline Nosrati FOSS Report
Free and Open Source Software (FOSS)
What is free and open source software?
Free and open source software is also known as FOSS. It is created by groups of independent programmers and examples of them include Bitcoin, Mozilla Firefox, GIMP, etc. FOSS can be changed and improved by anyone since the source code license is for free (the source code is what programmers can change to change the way the program functions and which is available to users) as long as users agree to use program by using it only with the intentions of the creators.The reason why it is referred as free software is because of zero cost and users can change it anyway they want and the reason why it’s referred as open source is because one can collaborate with others on programs and share.
FOSS: A Popular Alternative to Proprietary Software
FOSS is getting more popular option than traditional proprietary software (such as Microsoft Windows and Skype).Proprietary software developers fear that their profits could decrease because FOSS is becoming a more popular alternative to traditional software. Proprietary software can only be modified by those that made the software and when others want to use it they need to get permission and agree to only use the software for its intended purpose.
[Examples of Free and Open Source Software]
Advantages and Disadvantages of Free and Open Source Software
There are several advantages to free and open source software. FOSS lets users change the code so that the program does what they want it to do, which gives more freedom and flexibility to programmers. It also helps programmers and non-programmers train more in programming and so improve their programming skills. Having access to open source code helps people learn and create better programs that can be shared with others and that others can comment on, which improves the quality of programs. The FOSS movement can also be associated with the attitude of encouraging open and transparent collaboration between programmers and learners to make and find programming mistakes and improve programs for the good of other users. In addition, creators of FOSS don’t have to worry about users stealing programming licenses and codes to use their software for free.
There are also some disadvantages to free and open source software. First, open source software is in many cases not straightforward to use and programmers have to spend a lot of time learning the software to become proficient in it. Another disadvantage is that there many versions of certain programs in development, which makes it sometimes confusing for users to know which features and functions are available in which versions of a program.
My own view
Overall, I am in favor of free and open source software. I think that free and open source software is a great tool to have for learning how to program and become a better programmer as it encourages being more pro-active in learning about a program’s different features and functions. In addition, being able to collaborate with other programmers when using free and open source software is very beneficial because programmers share and exchange ideas, and that helps improve the quality of programs.