Re: open-source vs. open source

["Mike McCallister" <workingwriter -at- gmail -dot- com>]

As someone who writes books about this stuff, you'd think I'd have a strong
opinion on this hyphenation controversy. Yet I have to admit, I didn't have
an issue with Jill's original note (quoted below). Yet it occurred to me
that I hadn't seen the hyphenated version in awhile.

After checking my own text, there are no hyphens in it, in either
construction. Thus I guess we can say Pearson Education's style guide is OK
with "open source software" in all cases. Similarly, a Google search on
"open-source software" (with the hyphen) brings up nearly all links to "open
source software" no hyphen. Of the first 50 results, the only exceptions are
a 2005 BBC News article and a 2007 American Library Association report.

As to what "open" modifies, it clearly refers to the source.

Just a couple more data points, not necessarily authoritative.


Mike McCallister
Technical Writing Consultant, Compuware
Author, "openSUSE Linux Unleashed" -- at bookstores now!
Notes from the Metaverse: http://metaverse.wordpress.com


On Fri, Oct 24, 2008 at 3:05 PM, Jill Mohan <jillemo -at- gmail -dot- com> wrote:

> It's Friday and my mind is incapable of reasoning this out alone.
> If the rule for compound modifiers is this:  namely that if the compound
> modifier comes before the noun it modifies, then it better be wearing its
> hyphen. If it comes after the noun, then it doesn't need its hyphen?
>
> Orca is an open-source software package.
>
> This software is open source.
>
>
>
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