Open Source Initiative
lastmod 2026-01-09created 2026-01-093 edits
A nonprofit association responsible for stewarding and promoting the Open Source Definition (OSD).
An organization that embodies the basic idea of open-source software (OSS: Open Source Software): the source code of open-source software can be freely used, modified, and redistributed, which improves the software, and having many people write, modify, and fix bugs can be faster than one person developing the software.
When commercial use is prohibited but the code is published
Under the definition of the 'OSI (Open Source Initiative)', the term Open Source may be used only if it includes the freedom of commercial use. So if you restrict commercial use, it is strictly speaking not open source.
In such cases, here are recommended terms that emphasize the transparency of the code while avoiding misunderstanding.
Most common alternatives
- Source Available: currently the most standard term in the industry. It clearly conveys that "the code is open (Available) for anyone to see, but you must follow the license terms (no commercial use, etc.)".
- Example: "This is a source-available project."
Expressions emphasizing the nature of the license
- Non-Commercial: if the ban on commercial use is the key point, it is clearer to put the license's nature right up front.
- Example: "Non-commercial Open Code", "Creative Commons BY-NC"
Expressions emphasizing technical transparency
- Public Source: an expression focused on the fact that the source is open to the public (Public).
- Visible Source: used to emphasize that the internal logic can be inspected transparently.