Free and open-source software
Free and open-source software is a combination of the terms free software and open-source software in which anyone is free to use the software in any way they see fit, copy it, study it, and modify it in any way they see fit. The source code for FOSS is made available to the public so that people are encouraged to voluntarily improve the software's design. This is in contrast to proprietary software, which is subject to tight copyright licencing and in which the source code is often kept from the users.
The freedom to use software (FOSS) protects the civil liberties of software users (see the Four Essential Freedoms, below). Additionally, reduced software costs, enhanced security and stability (particularly in the face of malware), privacy protection, education, and providing users greater control over their own technology are all possible advantages of utilising free and open source software. Operating systems that are free and open-source, such as Linux and its derivatives, such as BSD, are extensively used today and power millions of servers, desktop computers, cellphones (e.g., Android), and other electronic devices. A large number of software products make advantage of free-software licences and open-source licences. The free software movement and the open-source software movement are online social movements that are responsible for the widespread production and adoption of free and open-source software (FOSS), with the former preferring to use the terms FLOSS or free/libre software, while the latter prefers to use the terms FLOSS or free/libre software.
"Free and open-source software" (FOSS) is an umbrella word for software that is considered both free software and open-source software at the same time. When opposed to proprietary software, FOSS (free and open-source software) enables the user to see the source code and has a higher degree of control over the product's functionality than proprietary software. The phrase "free software" does not relate to the monetary cost of the programme at all, but rather to whether or not the licence protects the civil freedoms of the software user ("free" in the sense of "free speech," not "free beer," as in the case of "free beer"). For free and open-source software (FOSS or F/OSS), or for free/libre and open-source software (FLOSS or F/LOSS, which is favoured by the Free Software Foundation over FOSS, whereas free or free/libre is their preferred word), there are a variety of related acronyms and abbreviations.
Despite the fact that free-software licences and open-source-software licences are almost identical, there is a significant philosophical difference between the proponents of these two stances on the subject. The phrase "Free and Open-source software," sometimes known as "FOSS," was coined to be a neutral referent for these philosophical conflicts between the Free Software Foundation and the Open Source Initiative, and to serve as a single unified word that could refer to both notions.