The success of open source software: A review

Open source software (OSS) is software with its source code available that may be used, copied, and distributed with or without modifications, and that may be offered either with or without a fee. In this paper we present an overview of the state-of-the-art OSS-related research from different fields and disciplines of the social and information sciences. The emerging work on understanding OSS has questioned what has led to its prosperity. We present an historical review of its success, and we discuss some of the key factors that contributed to the rise of the OSS, mainly from the perspective of the software engineering and economics. We conclude with some real-life business examples of companies that achieved their profit with OSS.