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An opensource software can be defined as a software where customers are free to make alterations in the various variables associated with the software program, thus making it easier to use. The term opensource is also used in popular vocabulary today, though it was originally a term which dealt with the source coding of software.

Opensource programming follows the tenets of the open source movement which started forming sometime during the middle of the 1980’s. Keeping that in mind, opensource software are ideally meant to be:

affordable,
transparent,
long lasting.

While doing opensource programming, one should also ensure that the program has a dynamic decision making structure, this is accomplished so as to allow maximum number of people to help in building the program.

The idea of allowing as many people as possible to participate in opensource programming is called the bazaar structure. In addition, an opensource software ought to be modular in design in order to allow parallel advancements alongside.

A person does need to have a sort of licensing from the company if a person intends to distribute an opensource software which he or she has developed.

A must do for anybody who intends to broach into the field of opensource encoding, is getting sufficient knowledge about aspects like coding conventions, patch submissions, bug tracking, user troubleshooting issues, means of version handle and feature requests.