To Reiterate: Open Source software (OSS) is a commercial item and NOT freeware or shareware, because the original code is available for the government to access and "review, repair, or extend" on behalf of the Government.
NUMBER 8500.2
February 6, 2003
ASD(C3I)
SUBJECT: Information Assurance (IA) Implementation
DCPD-1 Public Domain Software Controls
Binary or machine executable public domain software
products and other software products with limited or
no warranty, such as those commonly known as freeware
or shareware are not used in DoD information systems
unless they are necessary for mission accomplishment
and there are no alternative IT solutions available.
Such products are assessed for information assurance
impacts, and approved for use by the DAA. The assessment
addresses the fact that such software products are difficult
or impossible to review, repair, or extend, given that
the Government does not have access to the original
source code and there is no owner who could make such
repairs on behalf of the Government.
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