My friends,
I’ve run into a problem: I don’t know how to write “open source” 
.
I’ve done some research and there are all sorts of answers.
My question is what is the correct way to write it?
- Open source
- Open Source
- open source
- Open-source
- open-source
- Open source software
- open source software
- Open-source software
- open-source software
or any other form that exists on the net
according to the open source initiative (written open source),
No! Open Source is never hyphenated when referring to software
(with Open Source)
On the same page:
By contrast, open in “open-source intelligence” is the dictionary meaning of “open”, i.e., “open to or in view of all” or “transparent”. In this case, open-source is a compound modifier/compound adjective with a meaning comparable to “source-viewable”, “source-available”, “source-transparent”.
(with "open-source"and is the meaning of “open”)
On the same page:
The word open in “open source” does not have the meaning “open” as one would find in the dictionary. Instead, “open source” also entails user freedoms, inasmuch as users of the software for any purpose do not have to negotiate with the rights owners to enjoy (use/improve/share/monetise) the software. That is, it is not only about transparency.
and
...distributed on the same medium must be open source software.
(written “open source”)
So “open source” is the correct term for the software?
On Open Source Definition ( written “Open Source”) page, from the open source initiative website:
Open source doesn’t just mean access to the source code. The distribution terms of open source software must comply with the following criteria...
(written "Open source)
I believe that Open source is related to the license, correct?
According to wikipedia:
For common use, see open source software. Not to be confused with open source (pin configuration) and open access.
Open Source Initiative logo
Open source is source code that is made freely available for possible modification and redistribution.
Open source is the license
open source software is OSS
But if you click on the link to the page ( written “open source software”):
opens the Wikipedia page Open-source software (written “Open-source”).
On this page, we can read:
Open-source software shares similarities with [free software](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_software) and is part of the broader term [free and open-source software](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_and_open-source_software).
but we can also read:
"Open source" emphasizes the strengths of the open development model rather than software freedoms. While the goals behind the terms are different, open-source licenses and free software licenses
(“Open source” for software and “open-source” for licenses)
In the 90s, the term "open source" was coined as an alternative label for free software, and specific criteria were laid out to determine which licenses covered free and open-source software.
(“open source” for software)
On the Red Hat website:
Open source software is code that is designed to be publicly accessible—anyone can see, modify, and distribute the code as they see fit.
(written “Open source software”)
The open source movement
(I honestly don’t know what to say about this)
Peterson proposed the idea of replacing "free software" with the term "open source"
I understand that it can be “O” and not “the” if it is the first word written at the beginning of the sentence.
The examples I’ve given are just from the many sites I’ve searched to find out how to write “Open source”
I hadn’t come across this problem until today, having the need to write formally.
In addition to the correct way of writing in English, who can tell me, please, what the correct forms are for licenses and software and without saying neither licenses nor software what it refers to and how to write it?
Thank you very much in advance and I apologize for this confusion.
Jorge
