PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - Tim Benson TI - Open source paradigm: A synopsis of <em>The Cathedral and the Bazaar</em> for health and social care AID - 10.14236/jhi.v23i2.866 DP - 2016 Apr 01 TA - BMJ Health &amp; Care Informatics PG - 488--492 VI - 23 IP - 2 4099 - http://informatics.bmj.com/content/23/2/488.short 4100 - http://informatics.bmj.com/content/23/2/488.full AB - Background Open-source software (OSS) is becoming fashionable in health and social care, although the ideas are not new. However, progress has been slower than many had expected.Objective The purpose is to summarise the Free/Libre Open Source Software paradigm in terms of what it is, how it impacts users and software engineers and how it can work as a business model in the health and social care sectors.Method Critical appraisal of key learning from Eric Raymond’s seminal book The Cathedral and the Bazaar, which was the first comprehensive description of the open-source ecosystem, set out in three long essays.Outputs The first part contrasts open and closed source approaches to software development and support. The second part describes the culture and practices of the open-source movement. The third part considers business models.Conclusion A key benefit of open source is that users can access and collaborate on improving the software if they wish. Closed source code may be regarded as a strategic business risk that that may be unacceptable if there is an opensource alternative.The sharing culture of the open-source movement fits well with that of health and social care.