Open source software is described as a set of codes that promote access to the final products code for the development of information as a whole. The open source software took birth in universities and between developers who used different term to define it initially. Developers had developed a completely different way of exchanging free codes and software that were used to develop network protocols. This was closely similar to the method used in the open source software but were not governed by the ambiguity of the word free. It is said that this process of sharing network protocol as an early form of open source software gave birth to internet which is universally similar. This helped in standardization of hardware and software. After the same rules were applied to software then the whole process of open source software began to take a clear shape. It is believed that Netscape was the first company which took steps to create open source codes when it released the source code for its highly popular browser. The open source software was officially coined by the Open Source Initiative which brought to the world the luxury of open source softwares. One of the biggest contributors to the open source initiative were the developers of linux.
The OSI defines open source software as they code of software that is free to read, distribute modify and redistribute in a way that it leads to the further development of software. The people who use it and modify it will make the software much better than it initially was and such developments over time will lead to development of software each time it is distributed. But open source software cannot be confused with free software. Developers who use open source software will have to oblige by the rules and regulations set by the OSI and contribute to the development.