Open Source N. [common; Also Adj. `open-source'] Term Coined In March 1998 Following The Mozilla Release To Describe Software Distributed In Source Under Licenses Guaranteeing Anybody Rights To Freely Use

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open source n.

[common; also adj. `open-source']
Term coined in March 1998 following the Mozilla release to
describe software distributed in source under licenses guaranteeing
anybody rights to freely use, modify, and redistribute, the code.
The intent was to be able to sell the hackers' ways of doing
software to industry and the mainstream by avoid the negative
connotations (to suits) of the term "free software". For
discussion of the followon tactics and their consequences, see
the Open Source Initiative
site.

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