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I'm not contributing to open source projects privately right now. But if I was publishing code on my own, I would probably make it actually unlicensed at first

I'm not contributing to open source projects privately right now. But if I was publishing code on my own, I would probably make it actually unlicensed at first to keep my options open as much as possible. I would just put it somewhere and say: "here is code, you are technically able to look at it, but I am not giving you any permission". If somebody wants to use it and needs to follow copyright (for example in a commercial context) then I can grant them a free or paid license. I like the aspect that people who don't care about copyright have an advantage, and people who have internalized it cannot even use the code privately or look at it. I think it tells that I am not a big fan of the idea of intellectual property...

Filligree 5y ago
> I like the aspect that people who don't care about copyright have an advantage, and people who have internalized it cannot even use the code privately or look at it. I think it tells that I am not a big fan of the idea of intellectual property... I can’t stop you doing that. I’m not sure I even want to. I hate copyright, and while I’m not sure it should be completely destroyed, certainly it should be weakened by — say — ninety percent. However, that doesn’t mean I’m willing to break it. What I’ve internalised, having seen the alternative, isn’t copyright — it’s the rule of law. I’m not willing to break that just because it’s personally inconvenient.
freemint 5y ago
You are probably not very old but anyway . Let's say you die in accident. Nobody will be able to use your code until either copyright is repealed (the boomers half life has kicked in long enough such that they are irrelevant and we can change copyright) or you are 70 years dead. I understand you wanting to keep your options as long as possible. I see three options for you: - leave it without license and hope you will be able to license it as you want. Take no contributions. Have total freedom. Never accept contributors. - pick any non public domain equivalent license and require all contributions to allow you to relicense their contributions in the future. When you change the license in the future the all previous version released under that license stay that way. - pick a public domain equivalent license 0BSD preferably. All contributions under that license means you and their code and be relicensed by anybody including you. If you later decide to relicense you can do so without needing the contributors ok. Old versions stay in the public domain. Newer code (after relicensing doesn't).
- captainmuon 5y ago
  If I die, copyright would pass on to my heirs, and they could license it to others (until 70 years after my death, it would pass into public domain).
  - freemint 5y ago
    I agree but heirs don't tend to.

Filligree 5y ago

> I like the aspect that people who don't care about copyright have an advantage, and people who have internalized it cannot even use the code privately or look at it. I think it tells that I am not a big fan of the idea of intellectual property... I can’t stop you doing that. I’m not sure I even want to. I hate copyright, and while I’m not sure it should be completely destroyed, certainly it should be weakened by — say — ninety percent. However, that doesn’t mean I’m willing to break it. What I’ve internalised, having seen the alternative, isn’t copyright — it’s the rule of law. I’m not willing to break that just because it’s personally inconvenient.

freemint 5y ago

You are probably not very old but anyway . Let's say you die in accident. Nobody will be able to use your code until either copyright is repealed (the boomers half life has kicked in long enough such that they are irrelevant and we can change copyright) or you are 70 years dead. I understand you wanting to keep your options as long as possible. I see three options for you: - leave it without license and hope you will be able to license it as you want. Take no contributions. Have total freedom. Never accept contributors. - pick any non public domain equivalent license and require all contributions to allow you to relicense their contributions in the future. When you change the license in the future the all previous version released under that license stay that way. - pick a public domain equivalent license 0BSD preferably. All contributions under that license means you and their code and be relicensed by anybody including you. If you later decide to relicense you can do so without needing the contributors ok. Old versions stay in the public domain. Newer code (after relicensing doesn't).

captainmuon 5y ago
If I die, copyright would pass on to my heirs, and they could license it to others (until 70 years after my death, it would pass into public domain).
- freemint 5y ago
  I agree but heirs don't tend to.