open-source

American  

[oh-puhn-sawrs, -sohrs] / ˈoʊ pənˈsɔrs, -ˈsoʊrs /

adjective

1. Computers. pertaining to or denoting software whose source code is available free of charge to the public to use, copy, modify, sublicense, or distribute.

2. pertaining to or denoting a product or system whose origins, formula, design, etc., are freely accessible to the public.

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open source British  

noun

1. 1. intellectual property, esp computer source code, that is made freely available to the general public by its creators

   2. ( as modifier ) Compare closed source

      open source software

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open-source Scientific  

1. Relating to source code that is available to the public without charge. Open-source code is often enhanced, improved, and adapted for specific purposes by interested programmers, with the revised versions of the code are made available to the public. For example, most of the code in the Linux operating system is open-source.

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Etymology

Origin of open-source

First recorded in 1960–65

Example Sentences

She specializes in data-driven reporting, interactive visualization and analysis of open-source intelligence.

From The Wall Street Journal

Nixon said that his automated AI research startup, Infinity Artificial Intelligence Institute, uses seven or eight different models, including OpenAI and Anthropic products for different purposes, and open-source Chinese models.

From The Wall Street Journal

The history of open-source software tells us a lot about the future of AI.

From The Wall Street Journal

It will also make use of AMD’s ROCm software, an open-source offering.

From MarketWatch

Since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine exactly four years ago, AFP has used open-source data and satellite imagery to support reporting by its teams on the ground.

From Barron's