Free and open-source software (FOSS) challenges our preconceptions about
how software is
used, produced and distributed. The software industry today generates yearly
revenues in excess of $300 billion. FOSS is software that has made its source code
free and public and
allows – perhaps even motivates – users to change the source code and redistribute
the derivative software. While liberating the source code is a goal in itself, FOSS encourages, or even obliges, programmers to give other programmers and users those same freedoms and opportunities.
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| Free code supports broad collaborative development in software production, better porting with other
programs produced by independent programmers, and the customization of software to meet different commercial,
regulatory and cultural requirements.. Most importantly, in
particular for developing countries, FOSS allows tomorrow’s experts and information technology leaders to acquire skills and advance their knowledge rapidly.. |
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The UNCTAD E-commerce and Development
Report 2003 presents a comprehensive overview of the FOSS
phenomenon and explains why it is important for governments,
business and civil society to seriously and openly debate and
consider the benefits of a positive and pro-active
approach to FOSS.
Read
the chapter on FOSS in the UNCTAD ECDR 2003
UNCTAD produced a background
document on FOSS for its Expert Meeting held on 22-24 September
2004. This document and the report of the Chair are available in
the official UN languages and include definitions, analysis, and
an overview
of the policy debate.
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Free and open source software: Policy and development implications
UNCTAD 2004, TD/B/COM.3/EM.21/2) is
avalable in:
English French Spanish Arabic Chinese and Russian
The
Report of the Expert Meeeting on FOSS is available in:
English French Spanish Arabic Chinese and Russian |
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