NetBeans is Open Source
The NetBeans project is an
open-source project.
What this
means is:
- The NetBeans Platform and IDE are free for commercial and non-
commercial use.
- The source code to both are available to anyone, to reuse as they
see fit, under the terms of the license
- Development of the Platform and IDE happen in public. Decisions
are made on public mailing lists, by consensus.
- Individuals or companies may contribute code to the project;
participation is open to anyone who wishes to participate.
With the exception of some third-party binaries, the software
on this site is licensed under the Sun Public License, which complies
with the Open
Source Definition. Any third-party binaries are included in
/external/ directories in the source tree, are licensed under
their own terms and conditions.
Why Open Source?
There are many reasons to choose the open-source approach to
creating software. This approach can be variably described as:
- A set of best practices for geographically distributed software
development.
- A way of making sure software meets the needs of its users by
ensuring those users can participate in its creation.
- A way of ensuring that users of software are able to modify it to
meet their needs, and that no single entity can act against the
interests of the project or the community.
- A way to create software that helps to ensure high quality by
peer review and social dynamics (the "many eyeballs" concept).
- A way to create software that avoids the hierarchy and
organizational politics than can make some commercial development
efforts less efficient.
There are many more possible descriptions, ranging from the
practical to the religious. The more important question is, does it
work? After three years of existence, with participation from
thousands of individuals and hundreds of companies (some of which have
built their business on the software created here), we believe the
answer is an unqualified "yes." But the best way to test this answer
is to get involved in the
NetBeans community and discover the benefits for yourself.