Claim: Linux is software that does not cost money and is available for unrestricted modification.

Free and open-source software -LRB- FOSS -RRB- is computer software that can be classified as both free software and open-source software . That is , anyone is freely licensed to use , copy , study , and change the software in any way , and the source code is openly shared so that people are encouraged to voluntarily improve the design of the software . This is in contrast to proprietary software , where the software is under restrictive copyright and the source code is usually hidden from the users .   The benefits of using FOSS can include decreasing software costs , increasing security and stability -LRB- especially in regard to malware -RRB- , protecting privacy , and giving users more control over their own hardware . Free , open-source operating systems such as Linux and descendents of BSD are widely utilized today , powering millions of servers , desktops , smartphones -LRB- e.g. Android -RRB- , and other devices . Free software licenses and open-source licenses are used by many software packages .