What is open source software (OSS)?
Open source software is software that is developed collaboratively by developers across the globe. The software itself is available at little or no cost. The source code (the human-readable version of the software) is distributed with the executable form, giving users of the software the freedom to modify, adapt and improve the software to meet their needs.

What makes open source software special?
The basic idea behind open source is very simple: when programmers can read, redistribute, and modify the source code for a piece of software, the software evolves. People improve it, people adapt it, people fix bugs. And this can happen at a speed that, if one is used to the slow pace of conventional software development, seems astonishing. At first sight, one might think that this seemingly uncoordinated method of software development would result in chaos, but on the contrary, open source software is well-known for its quality, reliability and security compared with proprietary software.

(If open source software is so great,) why haven't we heard of this before?
Until recently, OSS was mostly developed by programmers in their spare time. They were doing what they loved — writing software for themselves and sharing it with their fellow programmers. Consequently, the software was never marketed, but remained a "best kept secret" in the academic and technical communities. (In fact, the majority of the Internet is built on open source technologies, as the Internet initially grew out of academic institutions.) Contrast this with proprietary software companies who spend a large portion of their budgets on advertising and marketing.

Is open source software free?
Yes and no. In the monetary sense, open source software is free in that users may freely copy and distribute the software (see the open source definition for more detail). However, a total IT solution consists of hardware, software and services such as support and training. It is important to take all of these into account when discussing the cost of software. The free concept in open source software refers more specifically to freedom: free as in "free speech" or "free market", rather than "free beer". OSS gives users the freedom to use and modify the software to suit their own needs. For non-technical users, this means the freedom from being locked into a single provider for software fixes, upgrades, support and other services.

What can open source software do for the home user?
There are open source software equivalents for most (if not all) home users' IT requirements, from document processing (office productivity suites) to dialup, email and Web browsing functionality, to games, multimedia and graphics applications. Since open source software may be freely used, copied and redistributed, it offers a very affordable IT solution to home users. Add to that the fact that open source software is often more stable and less buggy than many of its proprietary counterparts... What are you waiting for?