Everything you need to know about open source programs

Have you ever heard of the term "open source" and do you know what it means? What is the difference between open source software and closed source software? If you have the choice between two programs, one is open source and the other is closed source, which one will you choose and why? Open source programs are becoming widely distributed and you may be surprised if you know that many of the programs you use are open source programs. In this topic I will answer all of the above questions and I will give you some examples of the most popular open source programs.

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What are open source programs?
Open source programs are programs that provide their own source code to users, and the source code is the code commands in which the programs were written. When this code is available, anyone can modify these programs as required by the license specified by the developers of those programs.In the other hand, closed source programs do not provide their own source code and only allow official developers to modify them.

What are the benefits of open source software?

Open source programs have many benefits for software developers. Perhaps the most important benefit is to develop new software based on open source software. If you are a developer and want to develop a new program, instead of developing a new program from scratch, you can take the source code of any open source program Modify and develop that code to eventually produce your a new program. Also, developers may benefit from these programs to learn more about the different programming languages,

I am a regular user and not a software developer. Should I care about open source software?

Yes, the benefits of open source software are not limited to developers, here are the most important benefits of these programs for ordinary users:

1- For free, open source software are often free and this is the most important feature, but that does not mean that open source developers are not making money, there are several ways to monetize open source programs.

2- Speed ​​of development. Unlike closed-source programs that are limited to a certain number of developers, open-source programs have an unlimited number of developers. Anyone can help develop these programs by downloading and modifying the source code and then sending it to developers. This helps solve the problems of open source programs faster than closed source programs, and the more famous the program the greater the number of developers and thus will accelerate the development.

3- Security and privacy. Developers will not be able to install any malware or spyware because anyone can see the source code and discover those programs. Conversely, closed source developers can add anything they want without fear.

Examples of open source programs

If you think the benefits of closed source software are better than open source, you have to rethink. We have the biggest example of the Linux operating system, which is used by major companies like Google, Facebook and Twitter as the operating system for their servers, because this system is much safer than Windows. Firefox and Google Chrome, which are considered to be the best browsers for many users, That does not mean that the closed source programs are bad, but since the open source programs are characterized by simplicity, security and lightness in size, many people prefer these programs.

I hope that the subject has benefited you and your admiration. Thank you

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Posted on Utopian.io - Rewarding Open Source Contributors

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