Unfortunately, I failed to mention the problems with Netscape's public licensing policy. The interview was with a computer expert and discussed, of course, Linux. I use the term free in parentheses because the idea has little to do with money and everything to do with freedom. Open source software means only that the source code for the software is available. Fully proprietary software can be open source, a quick perusal of the Linux Journal can show that.
Proprietary software is that which remains the intellectual property of the company.
If I write a proprietary program, it means that it is mine, all mine. I may charge you a great deal of money to use it, but you are only using it. You only buy the right to borrow proprietary software, you own nothing. Anyone who has actually read a license agreement will understand this. This copyright holds true regardless of whether or not I decide to show you how my program runs, whether or not I show you the source code.