PHP Apache MySQL
What Is Open Source?
PHP, Apache, and MySQL are all part of the open source group of software programs. The open source
movement is basically a collaboration of some of the finest minds in computer programming. By allowing
the open exchange of information, programmers from all over the world contribute to make a truly
powerful and efficient piece of software available to everyone. Through the contributions of many people
to the publicly available source code, bugs get fixed, improvements are made, and a “good” software
program becomes a “great” one over time.
A Brief History of Open Source Initiatives
The term “open source” was coined in 1998 after Netscape decided to publish the source code for its
popular Navigator browser. This announcement prompted a small group of software developers who
had been longtime supporters of the soon-to-be open source ideology to formally develop the Open
Source Initiatives (OSI) and the Open Source Definition.
Although the OSI ideology was initially promoted in the hacker community, upon Netscape’s release of
Navigator’s source code, programmers from all walks of life began to offer suggestions and fixes to
improve the browser’s performance. The OSI mission was off and running, as the mainstream computing
world began to embrace the idea.
