Is « open source » not about software ? Being more related to sources of digital resources. It remains unclear where this idea of « open source » seems appropriate.
Initially, « open source » is derived from « source code » and born around software, emerging mainly in 1998. But the question is, does this idea of « source » may be meaningful outside of software.
In some regards, it has always been the case. Eric Raymond, a major figure of the open source movement, wrote in his article « Goodbye, "free software"; hello, "open source" » : « Yes, we're aware of the specialized meaning "open source" has in the intelligence community. This is a feature, not a bug. » [http://www.catb.org/~esr/open-source.html]
« Source » is then taking another meaning than « source code », around freely accessible information for intelligence work. The OSINT movement is not the lonely place where some people are speaking about some sort of sources.
It's used in hardware, one main initiative is called the Open Source Hardware Association: « The hardware’s source, the design from which it is made, is available in the preferred format for making modifications to it.» [https://www.oshwa.org/definition/]
A source may become a documentation from which a (physical) artifact is created.
You can have some sort of sources with educational resources too. In open education, people usually speak about Open Educational Resources (OER). In an article, some authors were proposing the idea of Open Source Educational Resource (OSER) to put an emphasis on OER with their source available. [https://arxiv.org/abs/2107.14330]
You can have the pdf only (in "open access" ?), but you can have all source used to generate it, in part to enable modification of resources by external people.
For the project open-source-undefined.org, to contribute to the debate on « open source » meaning with educational intent, you have both the website and raw markdown files of its content, its sources on GitHub.
In 2006, following the arrival of Creative Commons was launched the « Definition of Free Cultural Works », they specify a section around « Availability of source data »: « Where a final work has been obtained through the compilation or processing of a source file or multiple source files, all underlying source data should be available alongside the work itself under the same conditions. » [https://freedomdefined.org/Definition]
The idea of « source » next to more final resources seems to make sense in various ways around digital technologies. Is « open source » something around the availability of these different types of digital sources ?
Is « open source » limited to software ? Probably not. If « open source » is not only about software, then using « open source » to refer to software become confusing.
Image: Kenny Eliason, Unsplash
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