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Open source: Why it is never hyphenated

Open source or open-source, the debate is over

There was a time when using the hyphenated version of open source was acceptable if used as an adjective before a noun, but no more. The reason? Open source has become part of the lexicon as a compound noun. Using it as an adjective is no-longer acceptable practice. Lexicalization is the process where a word or phrase becomes an established part of a language, in this case our technical language. Here is how the Open Source Initiative describes it:

The word open in “open source” does not have the meaning “open” as one would find in the dictionary. Instead, “open source” also entails user freedoms, inasmuch as users of the software for any purpose do not have to negotiate with the rights owners to enjoy (use/improve/share/monetise) the software. That is, it is not only about transparency.

You will still find sources out on the Internet telling you that you should hyphenate open source when using it as an adjective in front of a noun. The reality is that open source is a compound noun, so it should never be an adjective. You get the picture.

Examples of other compound nouns

Other examples of compound nouns that became part of the lexicon are:

  • high school
  • green card
  • yellow journalism

These are all compound nouns. It is pretty easy to see why that is the case. Their meaning as separate words is different from what they mean together. Yellow and journalism mean different things separately. Yellow is a color between green and orange in the spectrum. Journalism is the activity or responsibility of writing for a magazine, news, or web resource. But yellow journalism is a type of journalism that uses sensationalism and exaggeration. It is a noun.

These are not part of our technical vocabulary, but it is easy to see how they relate to open source, which is.

Conclusions

As stated earlier, you will find sources to support the use of a hyphen in open source (if the adjective rules apply), so it comes down to a project making a decision and sticking to it. As far as the Rocky Linux documentation project goes, we believe that you should never use "open source" as an adjective. We choose to only use it as a compound noun following the example of the Open Source Initiative. By doing so, we remove the debate and relieve the pressure on our documentarians when editing or creating, eliminating questions. The goal is to keep things simple and clear.

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Author: Steven Spencer