ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Software in the Public Interest

Okay kiddo, let me explain to you what software in the public interest means. You know how there are some things that are important for everyone in our community? Like keeping our streets clean or making sure everyone has access to good healthcare? Just like that, there is software that is important for everyone in our community.

This is where software in the public interest comes in. It refers to software that is created to help the public interest, which means it's designed to help everyone in our community. This software is not created to make money for any one person or company, but to serve the greater good of our society.

One example of software in the public interest is open-source software. This is software that is freely available for anyone to use and modify for their own purposes. The people who create this software do it because they believe it can be useful to many people, not just a select few who can afford to pay for it.

Other examples include software that helps people with disabilities, software that helps track disease outbreaks, and software that helps people find and access government services.

So, software in the public interest is really just software that is designed to help everyone in our community, regardless of their income or background. It's a way for people to work together to create something that can make a big difference in the world.