What is the difference between Open Access and Open Source?

Open source software, like free software, is a kind of software the source code of which is freely available for inspection or modification.

Open access is a kind of access or availability. This kind of access could apply to any digital content, such as software, music, movies, or news.

Chandrima Roy

Google has given us a very powerful search tool for making such comparisons. ----------------------------------- define: XYZZZZZZZZZ ----------------------------------- The (define:) tool picks up definitions from many sources and brings forth many definitions from various glossaries. ************************************************************************************ For <define: "Open Access"> I am show casing a few relevant results: ************************************************************************************ Open access (also known as open-access publishing and free online scholarship) is an ongoing publication practice which differs in the way traditional methods of publishing papers to the public get submitted, reviewed, authenticated and finally published. The word "open" here means a change in how publication is negotiated between author and publisher and 'access' has an inflex on how the audience can obtain the publication. ... <src: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_access> Open Access: A publication model where in neither readers nor a reader's institution are charged for access to articles or other resources. Users are free to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of these articles. The only constraint on reproduction and distribution, and the only role for copyright … ... <src: www.loc.gov/acq/conser/glossary.html> Also, this last definition is also applicable and ergo suggests to us that this is not purely a digital domain term: Open Access: Book stacks to which users have free access to browse and retrieve items on their own, as opposed to closed stacks library.wur.nl/desktop/help/faq_glossary.html Adding my thoughts, today Open Access is a MOVEMENT which is targetted towards freedom of content from parasitic publishers. It is also concerned with newer forms of publishing rights, these rights now include terms like -- copyright, copyleft, creative commons licensing models, et al. Open Access in www terms is indicative of faster, cheaper, and maybe free access to current content -- both in peer reviewed and otherewise domains. ************************************************************************************ Vis-a-vis Open Source ---- Google Search::<define: "open source"> ************************************************************************************ Open Source is also another movement, but on that has largely been relegated to the IT software domain. In this, people generate software for the common good. The software is released into the market and is generally improved upon by other programmers, resulting in faster, better, and usually free products. The credit-line is always maintained - of the producers. These warez cannot be sold commercially. One well known OS site is SourceForge.net Shareware / Freeware eg: tucows.com, are other ways of sharing programs. Whereas Shareware is commercial, Freeware is free of cost. But in these cases, the source code of the programming involved is not disclosed. Regarding "Open Source" definitions: This is what Microsft has to say "A movement in the programming community for making source code (program instructions) free and freely available to anyone interested in using or working with it. <www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/visio/visio2002/plan/glossary.mspx>" Another definition for OS Term coined in March 1998 to describe software distributed in source under licenses guaranteeing anybody rights to freely use, modify, and redistribute the code. The intent was to be able to sell the hackers' ways of doing software to industry and the mainstream by avoiding the negative connotations (to [business people]) of the term "free software". For discussion of the follow-on tactics and their consequences, see the Open Source Initiative site. <www.slais.ubc.ca/courses/libr500/02-03-wt1/www/J_Caldwell/Terminology.htm> Lets us what the future holds in store for us. Vis-a-vis capitalism, communism has usually taken a back seat. "Open Source," essentially a community movement, has been slow in its growth. Linux has found a strong foothold in the www arena, but that has been largely due to Microsoft's blinders which they were quite late in removal. However the share of MS web servers is on the rise and just like what they did to Netscape in the Browser wars, the same may happen with web servers also. Similar is the case in the database scenario also mySQl vs Oracle/SQL. Whatever be the results, there is no end to this basic war between the rich and the do-gooders. It is a perennial war with no end. I am game. Its fun. The fun is playing the game, not winning or losing. It all relates to the side you choose. Open Access.. here I come :) -- Regards Granthpal ---------------------------------------- Jeetender Chandna aka Vicky aka Granthpal Esha News Monitoring Services Pvt Ltd 10th Floor, Krushal Commercial Complex Chembur (W) Mumbai 400089 Tel: (91-22) 3245 2861 Email: granthpal@gmail.com