Anyone who has used the Internet has open-source licensing to thank.

Programs licensed as open-source - like Apache, which retrieves and loads Internet pages - are maintained by an online community. Anyone can write new programming code to update or improve the software.

Everyone who uses a computer uses open-source programs, said Christian Muise, whether they are aware of it or not.

Muise is a Carleton alumnus currently working on his doctorate of computer science at the University of Toronto.

Protected under copyright laws, open-source is simply a different way of licensing a personal creation, Muise said.

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