Open architecture is a type of computer architecture or software architecture that is designed to make adding, upgrading and swapping components easy. For example, the IBM PC and Apple IIe have an open architecture supporting plug-in cards, whereas the Apple IIc and Amiga 500 computers have a closed architecture. In a closed architecture, the hardware manufacturer chooses the components, and they are not generally intended to be upgraded by the end-user.
Open architecture is also beginning to be pushed to extend into the context of Architectural Design of Buildings by the group Architecture for Humanity. The group has developed a project called the Open Architecture Network which aims to bring the discipline of Architecture away from the closed format which is promoted by firms that choose not to share their work.
Open architecture allows potential users to see inside all or parts of the architecture without any proprietary constraints. Typically, an open architecture publishes all or parts of its architecture that the developer or integrator wants to share. The open business processes involved with an open architecture may require some license agreements between entities sharing the architecture information.
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