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Free and Open Source Software

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This lens is for all open source and free software. Free as in freedom! Not freeware.

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Free and Open Source Software Wikia

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Defining Free and Open Source 

from Wikipedia

Understanding the terminology
Free software
Free software, as defined by the Free Software Foundation, is software which can be used, copied, studied, modified and redistributed without restriction. Freedom from such restrictions is central to the concept. Find out more at Wikipedia.
Open source
Open source describes practices in production and development that promote access to the end product's sources. Some consider it as a philosophy, and others consider it as a pragmatic methodology.
Open-source software
Open-source software is computer software whose source code is available under a copyright license that permits users to study, change, and improve the software, and to redistribute it in modified or unmodified form. It is the most prominent example of open source development.
Proprietary software
Proprietary software is the opposite of free or open source software. Proprietary software is software that has restrictions on using and copying it, usually enforced by a proprietor. The prevention of use, copying, or modification can be achieved by legal or technical means.
Non-proprietary software
Non-proprietary software is the opposite of proprietary software and is one of the many alternative terms for free software.
Alternative terms for free software
Alternative terms for free software and what they mean.
Open source vs. closed source
A Wikipedia article which compares and contrasts the open and closed source approaches.
Free software license
Find out about all of the free software licenses at Wikipedia.
Open-source license
An open-source license is a copyright license for computer software that makes the source code available under terms that allow for modification and redistribution without having to pay the original author.
Free/Libre/Open-Source Software
Free/Libre/Open-Source Software (or simply FLOSS) is a term that is synonymous with free software and open source software.
Free software movement
It's about more than licenses. There's a whole Free software movement. The free software movement began in 1983 when Richard Stallman announced the GNU project. It is a social movement which aims change the rights which software users have.
Free software community
The free software community is also called the open source community or the Linux community. These terms refers to the collective users and developers of free software.
Free Software Foundation
The Free Software Foundation (FSF) is a non-profit corporation founded in October 1985 by Richard Stallman to support the free software movement.

Where to find free and open source software 

Open Source Software Wiki
The Free and Open Source Software at oss.wikia.com is for describing, discussing, and documenting open source software. The wiki also aims to bring together communities of developers as well as give some background information about free software.

Feel free to create pages about your free and open source software project.
List of open source software packages
Wikipedia's list of open source software packages sorted by category.
How to find Free Software and Open Source software
How to find Free Software and Open Source software from the How-to Wiki.
The Free Software Directory
The Free Software Directory, created by the FSF and UNESCO aims to catalog useful free software that runs under free operating systems.

Open source news 

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Software Freedom Day 


Software Freedom Day
is an annual worldwide celebration of the free software community about Free/Libre and Open Source Software. The day is a public education effort, not only to celebrate the virtues of Free and Open Source Software, but also to encourage its use, to the benefit of the public.

Software Freedom Day is held on the third Saturday of each September.

Read more at Wikipedia or at SoftwareFreedomDay.org.

Debian 

The Debian Free Software Guidelines (DFSG)
A set of commitments from Debian that formed the basis of the Open Source Definition.
Wikipedia: Debian Free Software Guidelines
Wikipedia's article about the Debian Free Software Guidelines.
DFSG FAQ
Info on the DFSG.
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About Angela

Angela Beesley is a co-founder of Wikia, the free wiki hosting site. Angela served on the Board of Wikipedia's parent organization, the Wikimedia Foundation between 2004 and 2006. Angela's blog is at WikiAngela.com.

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