Open Source is a certification mark owned by the Open Source Initiative. Developers of software that is intended to be freely shared and possibly improved and redistributed by others can use the Open Source trademark if their distribution terms conform to the OSI’s Open Source Definition.

To summarize, the Definition model of distribution terms require that:

• Free Redistribution
  No restrictions are placed on parties from selling of giving away the software.
• Source Code Availability
  The software must include source code and must also allow for binary distributions when there is a well-publicized means of obtaining the source code.
• Derived Works
  Modifications and derived works must be allowed, and must be distributed under the same terms as the license of the original software.
• Integrity of the Authors Source Code
  The distribution of modified source code must be allowed although restrictions to ensure the possibility to distinguish the original source code from the derived works are tolerated. For example, the possibility of using different software names.
• No Discrimination Against Persons or Groups
  The license must not discriminate against any person or group of persons.
• No Discrimination Against Fields of Endeavor
  The license must not restrict anyone from making use of the program in a specific field of endeavor. For example, it may not restrict the program from being used in a business, or from being used for genetic research.
• Distribution of License
  The rights attached to the program must apply to all to whom the program is redistributed without the need for execution of an additional license by those parties.
• License Must Not Be Specific to a Product
  The rights given by the license must not be different for the original distribution and any other one even when it takes place in a totally different context.
• License Must Not Contaminate Other Software
  The license must not place restrictions on other software that is distributed along with the licensed software. For example, the license must not insist that all other programs distributed on the same medium must be open-source software.

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osCommerce was started in March 2000 and has since matured to a solution that is currently powering over the 11,435 registered live shops around the world.

Today, osCommerce has been taken to the next level, moving towards an e-commerce framework solution that not only remains easy to setup and maintain, but also making it easier for store administrators to present their stores to their customers with their own unique requirements.

The success of osCommerce is secured by a great and active community where members help one another out and participate in development issues reflecting upon the current state of the project.

You are more than welcome to contribute to the success of osCommerce by helping out in the realization of the project, by participating in the forums, by donating to the team developers and sponsoring the project, or just by spreading the word!

We welcome you to the osCommerce community!

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