Open Source FAQ > Basic open source software licensing questions > What is open source science/research/biotech?
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It's not very precise to apply the term open source in areas other than software. Open source is about access to source code -- information that enables full use of the software. Most other contexts don't have an exact analogy. When people use terms like this, they usually either mean community-developed works or open (i.e. patent-free or RAND licensed) standards. There are even people who talk about open source yoga and religious texts! The idea of openness is a good one, but open source is probably best left to describe software.
Last updated on November 8, 2009 by Heather Meeker