free and open-source software
Sign in to savesoftware that is both free (as in freedom) and open-source
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Free and open-source software is software whose underlying code is publicly available for anyone to view, modify, and share, without cost or licensing restrictions. This approach matters because it promotes transparency, allows communities to improve the software together, and reduces dependence on proprietary vendors.
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Screenshot of free and open-source software: Debian running KDE Plasma, Firefox, Dolphin, VLC, LibreOffice Writer, GIMP, and KCalc
Free and open-source software (FOSS) is software available under a license that gives users the right to use, share, modify, and distribute the software – modified or not – to everyone and provides the means to exercise those rights using the software's source code. FOSS is an inclusive umbrella term encompassing free software and open-source software. The rights guaranteed by FOSS originate from the "Four Essential Freedoms" of The Free Software Definition and the criteria of The Open Source Definition. All FOSS has publicly available source code, but not all source-available software is FOSS. FOSS is the opposite of proprietary software, which is licensed restrictively or has undisclosed source code.