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Open Source Software, a Brief Survey of the Economics of

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The New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics

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Abstract

The open source model is a form of software development in which the source code is made available, free of charge, to all interested parties; further users have the right to modify and extend the program. Open source software (OSS) methods rely on developers who reveal the source code under an open source licence. Under certain types of open source licence, any further development using the source code must also be publicly disclosed. In this brief survey, we will focus on several key aspects of open source software.

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Acknowledgments

We are especially grateful to Shane Greenstein for many comments and suggestions that significantly improved the manuscript. We are also grateful to Jacques Lawarree, and Nick Tsilas for very helpful comments and suggestions. An academic research grant from Microsoft is gratefully acknowledged. Any opinions expressed are those of the authors.

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  1. http://link.springer.com/referencework/10.1057/978-1-349-95121-5

    Chaim Fershtman & Neil Gandal

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  1. Chaim Fershtman
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  2. Neil Gandal
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Fershtman, C., Gandal, N. (2018). Open Source Software, a Brief Survey of the Economics of. In: The New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-349-95189-5_2997

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