Subject areaData and infrastructure
Source code is the set of instructions of a program, written by programmers in a language that a person can read.
Before running on a computer it is translated into a form that only the machine understands; whoever receives only that form can use the program but cannot see how it works and cannot change it.
That is why source code is the crux of the distinction between free and closed software. The GPL guarantees everyone the freedom to study, modify and redistribute it, and requires the same of anyone distributing derived versions, following the principle of copyleft. In open source the source is public, and Linux is the best-known case.
An example
The case that follows is constructed, because the term does not yet appear in the articles. A company using free software can have its own consultant read the source code, fix a defect and turn to another supplier if the first stops supporting it.
Enrico Giubertoni. Licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0: you may quote, translate and adapt this entry with the author’s name and a link, stating any changes. For commercial use, write to info@enricogiubertoni.com
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