[ FreeSoftwareCertificationProject / CertificationDefinition ]
For the purpose we are concerned with, certification can be defined in these words :
Certification is a process whereby a third party, the certifying agency, provides a written guarantee that a system of organization, a process, a person, a product or a service, conforms to requirements specified in a given standard.1
Steps in the Certification Process
The following diagram shows the steps of the certification process:
The Free Software Certification Project proposes to put certification to the service of the free software ethics (users' freedom to run, copy, distribute, study, change and improve the software). To reach this goal, we propose to develop a set of standards and certification programs which at the end of the line would serve to guide citizens who wish to support free software when they exercise their economic roles.
Notes
1. La certification des produits industriels et des services en 7 questions, novembre 2004