I I T E S F

IITESF FOSS ZONE
We need to promote FOSS for the promotion of ICT
Free and open source software is such type of software that can copy, study, modify, distribute and can use for commercial, education, or personal use without paying any license or copyright fee or restriction. Such type of software is provided with source code (recipe of software) and freedom to modify that code for private, work or any other use and can published without permission from any authority or person.

FOSS Supportive points
• Freedom of software and availability of source code are the key features of Free & Open Source Software.
• Free software means “Freedom of use”.
• Free software can be available free of charge or not but unlimited copies of that software are allowed.
• Anybody can create unlimited copies of software.
• Unlimited software copies can be distributed among people.
• Source code can be modified and redistributed.
• There is no restriction of copying, modification and distribution of FOSS.
• Software can use for private or commercial purpose.
• No restriction of usage of such software.
• Software source code must be provided to keep the FREEDOM theme.

What is FOSS: Free / Open Source Software?
Open source software and free software are two different terms for software, which comes with certain rights, or freedoms for the user to use, redistribute, modify and copied the software.
There are two approaches and philosophies towards free and open source software. Open source and Free software (or software libre) both describe software which is free from licensing restrictions and may be used, copied, studied, modified and redistributed without restriction and permission of any authority. Free software is not the same as freeware, software available at zero price.

FOSS for Schools / Colleges
Free Software empowers students to learn, it encourages the principle of sharing (sharing of ideas, sharing of software, helping others to understand computer usage and to build a stable ICT echo system) and communication. The IITESF’s Free Software Unit encourages the schools and colleges to adopt Free Software to promote the ICT education and save money to buy the propriety, closed source, licensed and restricted operating system.

IOSN’s FOSS Movements initiative
UNCTAD FOSS Partnership and UNDP-International Open Source Network known as IOSN. UNCTAD and IOSN have offered another term / philosophy for the global human development and regional / global ICT Ecosystem directed by the United Nations. UN emerges this philosophy from the combination of both the Free Software Movement and the Open Source Initiative. As a result a new global movement evolved for the development, sustained regional ICT Ecosystem and stability of human beings on the roads of Freedom to use, copy, study, modify known as FOSS Movement (Free and Open Source Software Movement). Purpose of this initiative is to promote the free ICT software globally for the betterment of human beings and to create a global ICT Ecosystem.

Free Software by “FREE SOFTWARE FOUNDATION”
The Free Software Foundation “fsf” is a non-profit corporation founded in October 1985 by Richard Stallman to support the free software movement and still known as a leader of Free software promotion in the world.
According to fsf (Connect to fsf),,,
Free software is a matter of the users' freedom to run, copy, distribute, study, change and improve the software. More precisely, it refers to four kinds of freedom, for the users of the software:
Freedom 0: “The freedom to run the program, for any purpose”
Freedom 1: “The freedom to study how the program works, and adapt it to your needs”
Freedom 2: “The freedom to redistribute copies so you can help your neighbor”
Freedom 3: “The freedom to improve the program, and release your improvements to the public, so that the whole community benefits”

Free Software by “OPEN SOURCE INITIATIVE”
Open Source Initiative (OSI) is a non-profit corporation dedicated to managing and promoting the Open Source Definition for the good of the community, specifically through the OSI Certified Open Source Software certification mark and program.
OSI is working for the promotion of open source software and also defining and providing the open source licenses.

According to OSI and open source software is…

According to OSI open source is not only such type of software which provides with source code but it must complete the following criteria to be open source software…

1. Free Redistribution: “No restriction of selling or distribution of software program without any fee or royalty restriction”

2. Source Code: “The software program must include source code as well as compiled form to keep the FOSS theme alive and made it easy for anyone to modify the software source code”

3. Derived works: “ The Software program must allow the modifications by using its source code”

4. Integrity of the author’s Source Code: “Software license may restrict the distribution of source code in modified form only is the license allows the distribution of “path files” with the source code for the purpose of modifying the software at build time, license must be explicitly allow the distribution of software built with that source code”

5. No Discrimination Against Persons or Groups: ”The license must not discriminate any person of group of people, for the maximum involvement and improvements of software it is necessary to take more people or groups in-process”

6. No Discrimination Against Fields of Endeavor: “The Software program must be free from the license traps of end-user or commercial usage, so it must be freely allowed to use FOSS for any purpose”

7. Distribution of License: “The rights of software program must apply to all to whom the program is redistributed without any need of additional license”

8. 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 that program is redistributed from one distribution to another, the right must be same as they were when this software program was with the original distribution”

9. License Must Not Restrict Other Software: “Software program must not be effected on the other co-software with which it is distributed, license of software program must not insists that all other programs distributed with same medium must open source software”

10. License Must be Technology-Neutral: “No provision of license may be predicated on any individual technology or style of interface” (aimed at license)