Is Dino Free and Open-Source Software?

Yes. Dino is free and open-source software, which means anyone can inspect and modify its source code. According to the project's website, this is deliberate: because the code is open, "you don't have to trust a single company or development team." Dino is developed on GitHub by an open community where contributions are welcome.

What "free and open-source" means for Dino

The claim rests on three practical points from the project's own description:

• The source code is publicly available. Anyone can read, audit, or change it. You are not dependent on a vendor's word about what the software does.
• Development happens in the open. Dino is built on GitHub by a community, not behind closed doors at one company.
• Trust is distributed. Instead of trusting one development team, you can rely on the code being visible and reviewable by anyone.

This matters most if your concern is whether a chat client does something you can't see. With closed software, you take that on faith. With Dino, the code itself is the evidence.

How you can participate

Open source is not only about reading code. The project lists several ways to contribute:

• Report bugs — file an issue when something breaks.
• Translate Dino into your language.
• Submit a pull request — contribute code changes directly.

You don't need to be a developer to take part; reporting and translating are open to anyone.

What Dino is, in one line

Dino is a modern open-source chat client for the desktop. It focuses on a clean and reliable Jabber/XMPP experience while keeping your privacy in mind. It is built on the XMPP protocol, an open internet standard for decentralized communication — often described as the instant-messaging counterpart to email.

Where to get it

You can get Dino from the repositories of many Linux distributions. The project points to its "Distribution Packages" wiki page for details. If you want to verify the open-source claim yourself, the source code is hosted on GitHub.

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