It’s been in my mind if we are using the software/program or even hardware of a tech company, we can play around, install-unsinstall and more. Then how is it so difficult for someone to “unhide” the source code that the device uses? Technically the code is in the device somewhere hidden in it, so it’s there, but still, it’s almost impossible to obtain the source code. How do they achieve this so no one copies their code?
In: 366
ELI5:
Because if I know the answer is 4, I don’t know if you got there by adding 2 + 2 or 1 + 3.
Open source software doesn’t tell you the answer. It tells you the equation. 2 + 2 = 4.
Closed source software tells you the answer, with no equation. Answer = 4.
The reason to look at source code is to see the equations, to see how they got to the answer. In closed source, you can’t do that.
Edited to add: A program that the computer runs is made up of “answers” (in this analogy). Therefore the answers are what are needed by your computer. It doesn’t care about the equations used to get there.
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