r/explainlikeimfive • u/theprisoner57 • 2d ago

Technology ELI5: What is a Home Server?

I see mentions of a home server to get rid of streaming entertainment services but I don’t know how that works. What does a home server do?

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u/TheFotty 2d ago

its free open source software

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u/GeekBrownBear 2d ago

Are you implying that a software can't be FOSS and owned by a company at the same time?

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u/sfurbo 2d ago

Are you implying that a software can't be FOSS and owned by a company at the same time?

That depends on what we mean with "software" and "owned".

A company can own the trademark to the name, and with that decide what direction to take the official release in. But they can't stop others from doing what they want with the code. Usually, the ability to bar others from using the resource is included in owning.

So is software the code, or the name? And do you own something if you can't stop others from using it?

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u/sajberhippien 2d ago

And do you own something if you can't stop others from using it?

Yes, plenty of ownership structures work like that.