Open Source Softwares (OSS)

Open Source Softwares (OSS)

• can be user free of charge
• is subject to license terms
• may be modifed and passed to anyone
• Is type of software whose source is made freely available
• There are upto 200 different license(divided in to 5 groups) in existence.

1. Strong Copyleft: ex. GPL, CPL [Licenses with a strong copyleft clause stipulate that all modified versions (where these are distributed and made available to the general public) must be subject to the original license.]
2. Restricted Copyleft: LGPL (Lesser GPL), MPL(mozill public lic) [where the original license must be imposed on all modified versions of the software if they are distributed]
3. No Copyleft: BSD, Apache [do not carry any obligation to make the newly added or modified code likewise subject to an OSS license.]
4. OSS with options: Perl Artistic, Clarified Artistic [This group is a "catch-all term" for any licenses that cannot be assigned to any other group.]
5. OSS with Privileges: e.g., software companies such as Netscape. [whose exploitation rights are reserved by the authors. e.g., by allowing them to use versions modified by external programmers as if they were their own property.]

• GPL v2 : OSS licenses within this group contain different license obligations.
• If no derivative work is created, the original GPL component remains subject to the GPL, but the modified proprietary component can be distributed under any license (including a proprietary one).
• Different licenses cannot be combined if they contain conflicting license terms.
• OSS officer has to scan the software purchasing/sales/distribution. (OSS Management)

Additional Info

• Copyleft "Copyleft" means that a piece of software that is subject to certain OSS license conditions can only be distributed under the same or compatible OSS license terms as the case may be.

• Derivative work The term "derivative work" or "derivative" refers to software based on an OSS and constituting an extension, development, modification or other processing thereof.