Open Source Software in Slovakia
What is open source software?
Open source software (OSS) is computer software whose source code is available under a license that allows users to study it, make changes and improvements to the source code or the software itself, and redistribute it in modified or unmodified form.
The open source movement is overseen by the nonprofit Open Source Initiative (OSI), founded in 1998 by Bruce Perens and Eric Raymond.
More on free software movement and open source software movement.
Slovakia
The Society for Open Information Technologies (Spoločnosť pre otvorené informačné technológie in Slovak) is a non-profit civic association of people who advocate the use of open information technologies in diverse areas of our society, with main focus on Slovakia.
SOIT brings together specialists in the IT industry, as well as standard users or potential users of open software and content.
SOIT advocates open source solutions within government advisory bodies, and organizes the conference “Open Source Software in Education, Research, and IT Solutions” (https://ossconf.fri.uniza.sk/).
Surveys
Slovak Centre of Scientific and Technical Information carried out two surveys about the use of open source software in Slovakia.
Open Source Software in the Slovak Academic Community – 2024
A questionnaire-based data collection was performed to determine the extent to which open source software is known and used in the Slovak academic community. Based on a questionnaire and suggestions from Slovak researchers and educators, a list of software in use was compiled.
The list:
Open-source-software-in-Slovak-academia
- System software (operating system, programming languages, databases)
- Aplication software
Case Study on the Use of OSS at Comenius University in Bratislava – 2025
The main objective was to map the current situation regarding open-source software at Comenius University in Bratislava and to develop a methodology through which the use of open source software can be mapped at the national level in other institutions and organizations in the academic and scientific spheres.
The initiative yielded useful findings and identified areas for improvement, particularly in the areas of communication, education, collaboration, and information dissemination.
The study was carried out in cooperation with the company.