doc17.txt

Open source software is software with source code that anyone can inspect, modify, and enhance.

"Source code" is the part of software that most computer users don't ever see; it's the code computer programmers can manipulate to change how a piece of software -- a "program" or "application" -- works. Programmers who have access to a computer program's source code can improve that program by adding features to it or fixing parts that don't always work correctly.