Free and Open Source Software

From ConvivialTools

Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) is a comprehensive term encompassing both the Free Software and the Open Source Software movements.

There are so many different terms for free software that Wikipedia provides a whole article just on the subject of
Alternative terms for free software. The alternative terms include:

• Free Software
• Freeware
• Shareware
• Open Source Software

There are also several alternative terms that try to group both Free Software and Open Source Software, including:

• Free and Open Source Software (FOSS)
• Free, Libre and Open Source Software (FLOSS)
• Free/Open Source Software (F/OSS)

See the FOSS Narrative for an introduction to Free and Open Source Software (FOSS).

Links

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_software_movement
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open-source_software