Generally, open source refers to a program in which the source code is available to the general public for use and/or modification from its original design. Open source code is typically created as a collaborative effort in which programmers improve upon the code and share the changes within the community. Open source sprouted in the technological community as a response to proprietary software owned by corporations.
The open-source model includes the concept of concurrent yet different agendas and differing approaches in production, in contrast with more centralized models of developmentsuch as those typically used in commercial software companies.[3][page needed] A main principle and practice of open-source software development is peer production by bartering and collaboration, with the end-product, source-material, “blueprints“, and documentation available at no cost to the public. This model is also used for the development of open-source-appropriate technologies,[4] solar photovoltaic technology [5] and open-source drug discovery.[6][7]
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