Open source is source code that is freely available for things like possible modification and redistribution. Products include publicly available source code, design documentation, or permission to use the product's content. The open source model is a decentralized software development model that encourages open collaboration. The guiding principle of open source software development is co-production, where products such as source code, blueprints, and documentation are made available to the public for free. The open source movement in software began as a response to the limitations of proprietary code. The model is used for projects such as open source appropriate technology and open source drug discovery.
