Published on December 23, 2025 3:40 PM GMT
Every time someone releases code publicly under some kind of “look but
don’t touch” terms a similar argument plays out:
A: This is cool, X is now open source!
B: It’s cool that we can read it, but we can’t redistribute etc so
it’s not “open source”.
A: Come on, if it’s not “closed source” it’s “open source”.
B: That’s not how the term “open source” has historically been
used. This is why we have terms like “source available”.
A: It’s bizarre that “open” would be the opposite of “closed”
everywhere except this one term.
I’m generally with B: it’s very useful that we have “open source” to
mean a specific technical thing, and using it to mean something
related gives a lot confusion about what is and is not allowed. While
A is right that this is a bit confusing, it’s also not unique to open
vs closed source. Some other examples:
If a country doesn’t have “closed borders” then many foreigners can
visit if they follow certain rules around visas, purpose, and length
of stay. If instead anyone can enter and live there with minimal
restrictions we say it has “open borders”.
If a journal isn’t “closed access” it is free to read. If you
additionally have specific permissions around redistribution and
reuse then it’s “open access”.
If an organization doesn’t practice “closed meetings” then outsiders
can attend meetings to observe. If it additionally provides advance
notice, allows public attendance without permission, and records or
publishes minutes, then it has “open meetings.”
If a club doesn’t have “closed membership” then it’s willing to
consider applicants. If anyone can join who meets some criteria, it
has “open membership”.
This is just how language works: terms develop meanings that are not
always ones you can derive simply from the meanings of their component
words. I agree it can be confusing, but I also want to do my part to
resist semantic drift and keep “open source” matching its useful and
socially beneficial definition.
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