Open Source Computing

Open source computing refers to software distributed along with the source code. The source code is the human-readable instructions that define the operation of an application. Releasing the source ensures that anyone can modify the software, either to improve it or to alter its functionality. By contrast, closed source or proprietary software is not released as source code but as compiled, executable files. Proprietary software is more difficult to reverse engineer, and supporters argue that it is more secure since vulnerabilities cannot be read from the source code. On the other hand, open source advocates argue that source code can be more thoroughly checked for bugs and security flaws when more developers are able to study and modify it. Releasing a project as open source ...

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