6 ms·
Personal take of a longtime OSM contributor: I don't think it's an issue and welcome any improvements from any directions. I also don't care if megacorps use th
by beej71 6y ago
Personal take of a longtime OSM contributor: I don't think it's an issue and welcome any improvements from any directions. I also don't care if megacorps use the data to make jillions of dollars and never contribute. But I know others feel differently.
If someone manages to take over OSM and put a restrictive license on the data, we'll just fork from the last open version and keep on doing what we do best: we map!
- kylegill 6y agoI feel like your take is a beautiful encapsulation of the open source mindset, taking on passion projects because it's fun and meaningful to build!
- coldpie 6y agoI work in, love, and use almost exclusively open source software and I don't agree with your description. We wouldn't be anywhere if it was only passion projects. For me, I like open source because it avoids wasted effort: everyone works to push the state of the world forward, instead of hoarding their own work for their own profits. It's simply the best way to make software. But that doesn't require doing things only because it's fun and meaningful. Doing work on open source software because you can get paid to do it is a perfectly valid reason to work on open source software.
- kylegill 6y agoThat's a fair point. Perhaps my statement paints too broad a brush. I get paid to work on open source software, so I agree it's not only worth doing because it's fun and meaningful. I guess I feel lucky hitting the sweet spot of enjoying the work I get to do on open source and be paid for it at the same time.
- dkjaudyeqooe 6y agoI don't think he's saying that his take should exclusively be the reason to work os OSS, but rather he thinks that the freedom to use OSS should be the same for everyone. You both state the major reasons why people do it.
- goatcode 6y agoBless you for being robust. This is the spirit that will save humanity from regulatory spider webs, and produce some fantastic things long into the future.
- bregma 6y agoRegulatory spider webs? More like predatory capitalists!
- goatcode 6y agoIndirectly, sure. Predatory capitalists love regulations, when they get big enough.
- jjoonathan 6y agoThey love regulations that help them and hate regulations that hurt them. It's almost as if the absolute quantity of regulation is a wedge issue that has very little to do with the quality of governance.
- goatcode 6y agoLobbyists are a thing, as are barriers to entry. Of course they love regulations that help them. They sometimes even write those regulations themselves. My notion of regulations isn't about quantity, but about quality. The lower the quality, over time, the higher the quantity. Thus forming a sort of spider-web-like structure, except spider webs are often of greater quality than legislation.
- Rounin 6y agoAs far as licences go, though, the terms and conditions regulating usage of OpenStreetMap now fill not three documents, but three SECTIONS on the OpenStreetMap Foundation's wiki. However liberal these licences may be, for the money it would cost me to hire a lawyer to read through them, I could just buy access to a commercial service.
- draw_down 6y agoSorry to hear it, but it seems that plenty of other applications felt the lawyers were worth it. I'm curious what exactly you believe the risk to be, except I don't think this comment is really made in good faith
- Brakenshire 6y agoI find the license very confusing - does any dataset generated from the database have to be released freely to anyone who asks? Or is it only a customer that purchases the dataset? Where is the distinction between a product of the db and the db, which are subject to different terms? For anything which isn’t displaying a standard base map it is confusing.
- fractionalhare 6y agoThe lawyer is almost certainly going to be significantly cheaper than the cost of the commercial service on an ongoing basis.
- Rounin 6y agoI suppose you're right. After all, one is a one-time cost, and the other is an ongoing cost. So that's a positive thing, at least.
- matkoniecz 6y agoEven if you would hire lawyer, it would be often far less expensive. And for many uses there is no viable alternative.
- tinus_hn 6y agoI agree, the only troublesome part is where corporate interests use their large numbers to force board elections.
- listenallyall 6y ago> I also don't care if megacorps use the data to make jillions of dollars and never contribute I can see you've received lots of praise for your commitment to open source, your passion about mapping, your contribution to the world. Regardless, the above statement just seems sad and depressing, the acknowledgement and resignation.
- nolok 6y agoThat's a weird and telling use of the word resignation, that says a lot about your mindset. Either you didn't mean that word, or you projected into parents' comment something that you believe but that he didn't say nor seem to believe himself.
- listenallyall 6y agoIf I knew that hundreds, or thousands, of hours of my personal volunteer time and effort, were going to be exploited by some MegaCorp to make billions of dollars, I'd be pretty pissed, and discouraged to continue, even if I loved the project and mission. If that makes me a selfish person (or less commendable than the OP), so be it.
- bruce511 6y agoHow does them making, or losing, billions of $ affect the pleasure you get? The farmers ploughs the fields and harvests the crops, and earns his reward. Others will take that crop and make billions more in distribution, retail sales, as ingredients in other foods and so on. Each works for his reward, and if the satisfaction you get is not enough then you need to seek a space elsewhere in the value chain. If it is enough then don't worry about how others extract their value - it doesn't impact on you. The Baker is as worth of his bread as the Farmer is of the wheat.
- fuzzfactor 6y ago>If I knew that hundreds, or thousands, of hours of my personal volunteer time and effort, were going to be exploited by some MegaCorp to make billions of dollars, I'd never be worried about dollars at all after that. Oh, wait . . .
- mattl 6y agoI haven’t contributed in a while but I feel the same. I contributed because I want free maps.
- codezero 6y agoTIL _the_ beej is on HN. It’s awesome to know you’re also passionate about OSM.
- brokenkebab 6y agoThe article is a blurry overworded FUD, because fear get more clicks (yes, I clicked too), and Bloomberg probably pays/evaluates by length. There's no clear issue mentioned with corp contributions, just what-if-something-maybe stuff.