WhereGroup

Source Code

The software part which is actually composed in a programming language by a human being is called the source code and can be understood by programmers around the world who are proficient in that language. To be executed by a computer, the source code is compiled, that is translated, into machine readable code, basically a sequence of 0 and 1, which make up the instructions for the machine. The process of compilations is not fully reversible, so to make any changes to the original structure of the program, you need its source code.

Open Source

Open Source is a general term for software programs whose original code is freely and openly available, so that changes can be introduced by anyone. To ensure that this is not altered at any future stages, the software as well as its code are provided under a license, that defines the legal framework for its use and distribution and prohibits the introduction of restrictive copyrights. The underlying principle is described in more detail in our Free Software section.

The Open Source Initiative (OSI) reasoned, that the Open Source term would be more appealing for commercial activities in the the IT market.

Proprietary Source

Proprietary business models treat source code as a holy grail and the core business asset - in other words: it's a business secret. This often has strong implications on the work developers may or may not do and tends to be governed by Non Disclosure Agreements to be signed by developers and business partners. Appart from a high probability that wheels are re-invented over and over again because of restricted communication among likeminded developers, and the fact that customers have to pay for this duplication of efforts, it doens't take a lot imagination how this potentially effects the individual creativity

Copy Protection? No!

It is straightforward to overcome technical copy protection mechanisms and it only takes a few minutes on the internet to corrobate this thesis. So, a lot of effort, and thus your money is spent on new, even better copy protection mechanisms, which only pose another challenge for someone to take on...

The WhereGroup doesn't believe in wasting your money on this cycle, nor the inherent restrictions imposed on the developers: we recommend to use Open Source Software.