Open Systems in Computing

In computing, an open system is a platform that can be modified and extended and has freely available documentation. An open system might also be called open architecture or Open Source. Its opposite would be a closed system, sometimes called proprietary or closed source

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Characteristics of open systems include making available the source code, which can be used for understanding and possible modification or improvement; portability, which allows the system to be used in a variety of environments; and interoperability (see software standards), which allows the system to function with other systems. Open systems are usually modular, which allows for portions to be added, removed or modified as needed without affecting other portions.

The term open system was first used in the 1980s. It was applied to the Unix operating system, which had well-documented programming interfaces and hardware compatibility. This contrasted with the popular mainframes or personal computers that used proprietary hardware and software.

The Linux operating system fully exemplifies the open system model.

(From https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/definition/open-system)