Open Source: The Traditional Definition

"All of us together are smarter than just a few of us."  "Bring a brick get a house." Two of the traditional slogans of the open-source movement.

Open Source is a revolutionary idea born recently in the software development world. It means that the underlying software source code is accessible, open, transparent, forkable and free for all to see, share, use and improve! (Software source code is the internal programming code that has been assembled by a programmer in order to make the software work, usefully and effectively, for a specific task.)

What is unique about open-source software code (as opposed to the original form of closed proprietary software code) is that its core "kernel" can be used to create new applications or can simply be improved upon by any person who understands the kernel's source code and knows what to do to improve or change it, providing only that they too make their new software source code improvements accessible, open, transparent and free for all to see, use and improve as well.

The new idea and practices of open-source software code in accessibility, transparency, and free sharing of innovation has created a veritable revolution in new software capacities and knowledge, distribution, and services of all kinds on and off the internet.

The result is that the open-source software revolution also has been one of the great facilitators for the democratization and empowerment of the flow of vital information around the world via the internet since the invention of the printing press. Open-source software and the open-source sharing concepts have also been a vital resource-leveraging mega-aid for the empowerment of nonprofit organizations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), corporations, and governments everywhere to share vital information for social and life betterment.

Open source has now come to religion and spirituality in the ideas of this Open Source Manifesto.

 

Tags: