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History of free and open-source software

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The history of free and open-source software begins at the advent of computer software in the early half of the 20th century. In the 1950s and 1960s, computer operating software and compilers were delivered as a part of hardware purchases without separate fees. At the time, source code—the human-readable form of software—was generally distributed with the software, providing the ability to fix bugs or add new functions. Universities were early adopters of computing technology. Many of the modifications developed by universities were openly shared, in keeping with the academic principles of sharing knowledge, and organizations sprung up to facilitate sharing.

History of free and open-source software - Wikipedia Jump to content From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page . ( Learn how and when to remove these messages ) This article needs to be updated . Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. ( September 2021 ) This article's lead section may be too short to adequately summarize the key points . Please consider expanding the lead to provide an accessible overview of all important aspects of the article. ( Augu

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