Open Source (FAITS) Tutorial by James G. Barr (search "Open Source" in the searchbox)"Open source" denotes a type of software in which the source code is made freely available and may be modified and distributed at will. Until recently, enterprise officials generally eschewed the use of open source software, believing open source systems were inferior in quality and support to those featuring proprietary code produced by established developers like IBM and Microsoft. Attitudes, however, are changing, thanks to the advocacy of the open source community.