Fork (Software)

The term forking is also associated with software when completely new programs were created using the source code from open-source software. Forking, in turn, gives new direction to the software, splitting it into two different versions.

Within the open-source community, forking is often taken as a positive sign. In fact, the majority of the fork occurs when a large number of developers branch off and strive to further refine the project, and even replace it over time.

While forks are often viewed as the symbol of freedom, they can even have an adverse effect on the overall software functionality. Oftentimes, it is the larger group of developers who ends up retaining the original name along with the community.