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Why open source software isn’t actually free
Open source software is a vital part of modern computing; it’s involved in much of the software we use every day. But is it too good to be true, and is it really free, in either sense of the word?
Computer engineers and programmers have long relied on reverse engineering as a way to copy the functionality of a computer program without copying that program’s copyright-protected code directly.
Generative AI is erasing open source code provenance. FOSS reciprocity collapses when attribution and ownership disappear. The commons that built AI may not survive its success. We live in an ...
In early 2025, a class-action lawsuit against GitHub, Microsoft, and OpenAI over Copilot’s use of open-source training data was still grinding through federal court. By spring 2026, the case remains ...
Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Analyzing tech stocks through the prism of cultural change. This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more. This voice ...
The baton of open source AI models has been passed on between several companies over the years since ChatGPT debuted in late 2022, from Meta with its Llama family to Chinese labs like Qwen and z.ai.
Top open-source maintainers find that AI has suddenly become much more useful. There are still legal and 'AI slop' problems to overcome. By year's end, AI programming tools should be much more ...
The popularity of open-source software continues to grow because of the multiple advantages they provide including lower upfront software and hardware costs, lower total-cost-of-ownership, lack of ...
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