Free and Open Software (FOSS) benefits are the development of digital skills, improved software quality, the ability to customise software for own usage, no vendor-lock in meaning no vendor dependency, fair competition in the market, long-term sustainability, decreased costs, increased security and stability, protecting privacy and giving companies and users more control over their own device. On first hearing the term “free software” many people mistakenly think it means “zero-cost software.” FOSS software is often free of charge, but its main difference to proprietary software is that it is is free as in “freedom” — that is, the freedom to use, study, share and modify under the terms of the license of that software.
