Open Source Software Development

Open source software development is software work where source code and the rules for using it are public. It is not the same as putting code on a public website. The license supplies the permissions. The Open Source Definition requires source code, permission to create and distribute derived works, and no discrimination against people, groups, or fields of endeavor.

A project is more than a repository. It has a license, documented decisions, a release process, and people who maintain it. A public repository without a license does not grant the permissions that make a project open source. A licensed project still needs people who review changes, respond to issues, and decide what belongs.