Open source is a development method for software that connects the power of distributed peer review and transparency of process. The ability of open source is better quality, higher reliability, more flexibility, and lower cost.

Open source not only mean access to the source code but it also means that the distribution terms of open-source software must comply with the following criteria:

1. Redistribution is Unrestricted

The license shall not restrict any party from selling or giving away the software as a component of an aggregate software distribution containing programs from several different sources. The license shall not require a royalty or any other fee for such sale.

2. Source Code

The program must include source code, and must allow distribution in the source code as well as in the compiled form. Where some form of a product is not distributed with source code, there must be a well-publicized means of obtaining the source code for no more than a reasonable reproduction cost preferably, downloading via the Internet without charge. The source code must be the preferred form in which a programmer would modify the program.

3. Author's Source Code - Integrity

The license may restrict source code from being distributed in modified form only if the license allows the distribution of ‘patch files’ with the source code for the purpose of modifying the program at build time. The license must explicitly permit distribution of software built from modified source code. The license may require derived works to carry a different name or version number from the original software.

4. No Discrimination against Fields of Endeavor

The license must not restrict anyone from making use of the program in a specific field of endeavor. For example, it may not restrict the program from being used in a business, or from being used for genetic research.

5. Distribution of License

The rights attached to the program must apply to all to whom the program is redistributed without the need for execution of an additional license by those parties.

6. License Must Not Be Specific to a Product

The rights attached to the program must not depend on the program's being part of a particular software distribution. If the program is extracted from that distribution and used or distributed within the terms of the program's license, all parties to whom the program is redistributed should have the same rights as those that are granted in conjunction with the original software distribution.

7. Free to use other Software

The license must not place restrictions on other software that is distributed along with the licensed software. For example, the license must not insist that all other programs distributed on the same medium must be open-source software.

8. License Must Be Technology-Neutral

No provision of the license may be predicated on any individual technology or style of interface.