4 ms·

FOSS is a very big umbrella that incorporates a wide variety of licenses. But for me AGPL is not in the spirit of FOSS. It's like you're an unpaid employee of

FOSS is a very big umbrella that incorporates a wide variety of licenses. But for me AGPL is not in the spirit of FOSS. It's like you're an unpaid employee of some company who is happy to take your work as long as you don't compete with them. I understand why AGPL was invented i.e. to prevent AWS ripping your project off but I don't think it's a particularly fair license for individual contributors.

tptacek 4y ago
At the point where you've defined the FSF out of FOSS, you've departed the ordinary definition of the term.
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
- adament 4y ago
  Interestingly the FSF also requires copyright assignment for contributions to GCC, Emacs and some other GNU software.
  - ediblelint 4y ago
    The FSF does appear to prefer copyright assignment over DCOs[1], but as of last year GCC contributions only require a DCO[2]. [1] https://www.fsf.org/blogs/licensing/FSF-copyright-handling https://www.fsf.org/blogs/licensing/FSF-copyright-handling [2] https://lwn.net/Articles/857791/ https://lwn.net/Articles/857791/
    - adament 4y ago
      That is good news, thank you! And I apologize for spreading incorrect information.
shp0ngle 4y ago
agpl was definitely not invented to prevent AWS stealing your project. Affero predates AWS by a lot. It was invented because FSF wants users to be able to see software they are using, but they cannot if it’s a remote server. It has been used recently as magic anti-AWS wand, but it wasn’t built for that edit: I am wrong in my dating! Affero is 2007, AWS was launched 2006. But yeah it was never meant as anti-AWS magic wand.
- reachableceo 4y ago
  I think you are being pedantic. Aws , TiVo , whatever . Lots of orgs exploited the contractual logic gap in gpl v2. Aws is the latest in a long list of freeloaders . I license all my / my startups code under AGPL v3. I don’t offer anyone proprietary license and I don’t ask anyone for CLA. Defense against freeloaders and also tyrant. My operating agreement for my LLC has language about this stuff. It’s that core to our DNA.
hiq 4y ago
Aren't you talking about copyright assignments rather than AGPL? You can definitely compete using AGPL, you just have to publish your changes (without necessarily assigning the copyrights), just like the company you're competing with has to if they start using your changes and you haven't assigned your copyrights to them.

tptacek 4y ago

At the point where you've defined the FSF out of FOSS, you've departed the ordinary definition of the term.

deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
adament 4y ago
Interestingly the FSF also requires copyright assignment for contributions to GCC, Emacs and some other GNU software.
- ediblelint 4y ago
  The FSF does appear to prefer copyright assignment over DCOs[1], but as of last year GCC contributions only require a DCO[2]. [1] https://www.fsf.org/blogs/licensing/FSF-copyright-handling https://www.fsf.org/blogs/licensing/FSF-copyright-handling [2] https://lwn.net/Articles/857791/ https://lwn.net/Articles/857791/
  - adament 4y ago
    That is good news, thank you! And I apologize for spreading incorrect information.

shp0ngle 4y ago

agpl was definitely not invented to prevent AWS stealing your project. Affero predates AWS by a lot. It was invented because FSF wants users to be able to see software they are using, but they cannot if it’s a remote server. It has been used recently as magic anti-AWS wand, but it wasn’t built for that edit: I am wrong in my dating! Affero is 2007, AWS was launched 2006. But yeah it was never meant as anti-AWS magic wand.

reachableceo 4y ago
I think you are being pedantic. Aws , TiVo , whatever . Lots of orgs exploited the contractual logic gap in gpl v2. Aws is the latest in a long list of freeloaders . I license all my / my startups code under AGPL v3. I don’t offer anyone proprietary license and I don’t ask anyone for CLA. Defense against freeloaders and also tyrant. My operating agreement for my LLC has language about this stuff. It’s that core to our DNA.

hiq 4y ago

Aren't you talking about copyright assignments rather than AGPL? You can definitely compete using AGPL, you just have to publish your changes (without necessarily assigning the copyrights), just like the company you're competing with has to if they start using your changes and you haven't assigned your copyrights to them.