Most simply, the term "Free and Open Source" means the availability of a piece of Software's Source code. However, there is much more to Open Source than handing out code - it is a set of principles and practices on how Software is written. Software developed with these ideas in mind benefit from many positive aspects of the process, and, properly utilized, can improve the efficiency and impact of many institutions in society. How, you ask? An excellent question - let's explore....
The first and most apparent benefit for most about Open Source Software is the price - or rather, the absence thereof. This makes Open Source products easy to obtain, risk-Free to try for an infinite duration, and eliminates the need for complicated, often frustratingly arbitrary registration procedures that accompany Software licensing. While there are a number of Open Source licenses - the most prevalent of which is the GPL - they are alike in their preservation of Freedom for the user, and their insurance of the Freedom of any "derivative works" which may (and often do) come from an Open Source development model. The user - be it an individual, a non-profit organization, a corporation - is permitted to use the Software in whatever manner desired, to install it on as many different devices as desired, and to modify it however may be desired.
How does this end-user Freedom benefit, say, an educational institution or a city government? This means that Open Source Software, for these groups, is not only virtually Free to obtain, to use, and to keep using - it is also Free from any interests other than those of the organization, and customizable to whatever specific needs may arise. This is a powerful idea - with commercial, proprietary Software, organizations are hindered in so many ways; bound by the profit-driven Software company. Open Source Software is Free from all of this corporate interest - focus is placed on developing Software for the end user, not the financial need of any one entity.
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