010-150 · Question #57
Which one of the following is true about Open Source software?
The correct answer is B. Open Source software is available for commercial use. The Open Source Definition explicitly permits commercial use of open source software. Restrictions on commercial use would violate the core principles of open source.
Question
Which one of the following is true about Open Source software?
Options
- AOpen Source software can not be copied for free.
- BOpen Source software is available for commercial use.
- CThe freedom to redistribute copies must include binary or executable forms of the software but
- DOpen Source software is not for sale.
How the community answered
(28 responses)- A7% (2)
- B86% (24)
- C4% (1)
- D4% (1)
Why each option
The Open Source Definition explicitly permits commercial use of open source software. Restrictions on commercial use would violate the core principles of open source.
Open source software can be freely copied; free redistribution is actually a core requirement (OSD criterion 1).
The Open Source Definition (OSD), maintained by the Open Source Initiative, requires in criterion 6 that the license must not restrict anyone from selling or giving away the software as part of an aggregate, and must not require a royalty for such sale. This explicitly allows commercial use.
The OSD requires redistribution to be allowed in source or binary form, but does not mandate that binary distribution must be included - source-only distribution can satisfy the definition.
Open source software can be sold; the OSD forbids licenses from prohibiting commercial sale.
Concept tested: Open Source Definition commercial use rights
Source: https://opensource.org/osd
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