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 you are used to the slow pace of conventional software development, seems astonishing. Open source is an often-misunderstood term that relates to free software. The Open Source Initiative (OSI) website provides a number of resources that define the various aspects of open source, including a definition of open source at www.opensource.org/docs/definition.html. The following quote from the OSI home page nicely summarizes the key aspects as they relate to JBoss:
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