What Is a Fork (Software)?
A software fork is a type of branching in which developers take the source code from an existing project and create their own version. This can be done for many reasons, such as to add new features or fix bugs that are not present in the original version. The resulting versions are known as “forks” and they may have different names depending on who created them. For example, if someone creates a modified version of Linux called Ubuntu, it would be considered a fork of Linux.
When creating a software fork, developers must ensure that all changes made to the original code are properly documented so that users know what has been changed and why. Additionally, forks should also include any necessary licenses or copyright notices required by the original author(s). It is important to note that while forks can provide great benefits to users (such as additional features), they can also cause problems if not managed correctly; this includes potential security issues due to outdated code or incompatibilities between different versions of the same program.