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Closed source means users unable to verify your marketing claims about tracking. Privacy conscious users like myself would prefer an open-source commenting plat
by tombrossman 9y ago
Closed source means users unable to verify your marketing claims about tracking. Privacy conscious users like myself would prefer an open-source commenting platform, even one with tracking, since we could verify how it worked (and also take it a step further and circumvent tracking by examining the source).
Also, what's to prevent a provider from double-dipping? If you can sell the product plus your users data you can presumably generate even more income. For example, mobile phone carriers sell monthly plans to users and some sell users location and usage data (usually "anonymised") to advertisers.
I don't mean to imply that you are doing these things, or that you ever would, but without independent verification by a trusted third-party, all the users have to go on are your marketing claims. What's your plan for dealing with sceptical users?
- ploggingdev 9y agoI guess I'll have to earn trust the long, hard way : * clear policies on how user data is handled * explicit commitment to never sell user data to third parties * transparency about any specific concerns users might have * no dark patterns to trick users or website owners * a track record of good decision making and staying true to the commitment to privacy And for people who find me through forums (including HN) or via my blog, I think my privacy + no bullsh*t leanings are pretty clear. Since I'm solo and bootstrapped, I don't know what options I have regarding independent verification of my claims, but if I get to a point where I can explore such options, I'm all for third party verification of my claims.
- anon335dtzbvc 9y agoCould you tell why you choose to make it closed source?
- reitanqild 9y agoNot op, but here is an obvious and valid one: Because it is easier to monetize that way.
- gsich 9y agoYou don't make money with open source unless you are big enough.
- bigbugbag 9y agoTo prevent people self-hosting and selling an overpriced service to people who do not know better and will be disappointed when the service closes or when they want to migrate their data to another service.
- tombrossman 9y agoAppreciate the quick response. That's a very good list, and I would only add "all user data will be deleted if service is sold to another company" to it.
- bigbugbag 9y agoWhat do you mean user data ? As in every commenter owns his comment or as in the paying customer owns the data from the commenters ? This may make quite a legal difference when the justice system gets eventually involved.
- TeMPOraL 9y agoMost of those are not a problem with closed source per-se (closed source binaries you run yourself can still be inspected, monitored and even reversed). It's a problem with SaaS model. Even if you open-source everything, how can I know you're actually running the same code you've open-sourced? I can't. And since most SaaS businesses track users like there's no tomorrow, you get perfectly reasonable distrust by default.