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Defining Open-Source Development

publish date: 2026/06/13 03:24:42.796895 UTC

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Which of the following best defines open-source software development?

Software developed using only open standards and published under any commercial license

Software developed entirely by a single company using an agile methodology and released to the public for free

An approach to software development in which the source code of a software system is published and volunteers are invited to participate in the development process

A development approach where the user interface is open but the source code remains proprietary

Correct Answer

An approach to software development in which the source code of a software system is published and volunteers are invited to participate in the development process

Explanation

Open-source development is an approach to software development in which the source code of a software system is published and volunteers are invited to participate in the development process. Its roots are in the Free Software Foundation, which advocates that source code should always be available for users to examine and modify as they wish. In practice, successful open-source systems still rely on a core group of developers who control changes to the software.

Reference

Software Engineering, Ian Sommerville, 10th edition

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