Open Source Software – What is Free Open Source Software?

Definition: The source code for a software application is basically the programming instructions for the software. Most financial software has a source code that is not openly shared for the purpose of competing for market share. When software is considered to be open source, the source code is available to anyone who wants to use or work with the software, free of charge.

Open source software is can be modified by anyone who downloads the source, and is usually developed with a collaboration of programmers and software users. This collaboration includes testing the software to eliminate bugs in the program code, a process with can cause the software to quickly become more refined and user-friendly.

Open source software is free to the general public and is considered safe to use when the usual precautions are taken (use antivirus software). The only drawback to open source software may be a lack of formal technical support, although most of this software has an online manual to use to learn to use the software and a strong user community which freely provides reliable support to those who have questions. Help documentation is most often found in the software under the Help section at the top of the screen or on the software developer's web site.

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Open Source Software - What is Free Open Source Software?