Open source licensing

There are many myths about open source, which we will also uncover in this chapter, starting with why open source licensing? Let’s start with the basics; one of the biggest misconceptions is that open source is often considered just free access to a code base. Open source licenses provide the terms of use, distribution, and modification, with obligations defined around open source software, including the code base. It is considered a contract between the owner, contributor, and distributor in one way. Open source software is considered a disruption from the way software was developed in the past as intellectual property (IP). Primarily, open source licenses are categorized into two broad categories, copy-left and permissive.

Copy-left ties back to the free software movement where you are allowed to use, modify, and distribute the software with reciprocity, which means any software that intends to use copy-left will be distributed under the same type...