3 ms·

Open source is neither a community nor a democracy

• jqpabc123 2y ago
  Sorry, open source isn't really a gift either. The recipient certainly doesn't own it and can't really use it as he sees fit in many (if not most) cases. Maybe we should just agree that it is an enigma that defies simple analogies.
  • gladiatr72 2y ago
    > The recipient certainly doesn't own it and can't really use it as he sees fit in many (if not most) cases. Other than scenarios such as "sendmail will not perform well if you really need a k/v store", what exactly do you mean?
    • jqpabc123 2y ago
      Most open source code comes with too many restrictions on ownership to be reasonably called a "gift". For example, see the GPL which exists specifically to restrict ownership and usage. If I let you use my car but only how I specify (subject to change at any time) and the title stays in my name, it's not legally a "gift" is it?
• mmaniac 2y ago
  The most beautiful part of open source IMO is the fork. Free riders don't (and shouldn't) get a say in any case, but contributors who have disagreements about the direction of a project can rightly split off and take things in their own direction. The more successful open source projects seem to be ones with a dense cadre of opinionated core contributors, which makes this kind of self-partitioning more important.