4 ms·

Even without a CLA, Redis was originally licensed BSD. Releasing code under a BSD license is making a promise that you are OK with people using your code for co

by jart 2y ago

Even without a CLA, Redis was originally licensed BSD. Releasing code under a BSD license is making a promise that you are OK with people using your code for commercial purposes. If you as a developer express personal feelings of dissatisfaction that someone is doing with your gift what you gave them permission to do, in such a way that could be construed as reneging on your promise, then that would make you dishonorable and untrustworthy.

skinner_ 2y ago
> in such a way that could be construed as reneging on your promise Nothing could be construed in such a way, because such a reneging is not possible.
- thayne 2y ago
  Well in this case, antirez literally promised[1] they wouldn't change the license of the core away from BSD, and then Redis Labs did just that, and now antirez is speaking favorably of that decision. [1]: https://antirez.com/news/120 https://antirez.com/news/120
  - skinner_ 2y ago
    Wow, I wasn't aware. @jart, do you have any harsh comments on the actual reneging of an actual promise? @antirez, do you have any kind of comments?
    - gavindean90 2y ago
      That post was from literally thousands of days ago and seems to be in relation to some confusion at that time. Honestly to me you can see the tensions that led to the license change in that post. It’s largely consistent with what antirez has said in the post and in this thread.
      - master2121 2y ago
        [dead]
      - jillyboel 2y ago
        Ok so just because something is in the past it's become irrelevant? So no promises are ever worth trusting? The creator of redis LITERALLY said "Redis will remain BSD licensed". And it's no longer BSD licensed.
        evanelias 2y ago
        Where is there a "promise" in that post? Where is there any wording about it remaining BSD forever? It's a post from 2018, about a specific license confusion situation that occurred in 2018. Context matters.
        jillyboel 2y ago
        In the title: "Redis will remain BSD licensed" You can try to be a smartass and add random caveats but that's not how language works. Imagine if everyone thought like you did: "Sure I promise to do X" (not saying that I mean for the next 5 minutes and will then ignore my past promise)
        evanelias 2y ago
        Again, where is the word "promise" in this post? The post title in its original context is clearly referring to the confusion discussed in the very first sentence: "Today a page about the new Common Clause license in the Redis Labs web site was interpreted as if Redis itself switched license." The title is saying that Redis core's license was not switched to Common Clause at that time in 2018. That's all. It is not titled "I promise that Redis will remain open source forever".
        thayne 2y ago
        > This is not the case, Redis is, and will remain, BSD licensed. True, he doesn't explicitly say for how long, but I don't think it is unreasonable to read "will remain" as "will remain indefinitely" and not as "will remain so until we change our minds".
sangnoir 2y ago
> Releasing code under a BSD license is making a promise that you are OK with people using your code for commercial purposes. That's just a microcosm of the larger issue, isn't it? Contributors : Redis :: Redis : AWS - Redis gave Amazon the permission to host and make money off of Redis, but Redis was evidently salty about the state of affairs. I think contributors have reason to be salty too.

by jart 2y ago

skinner_ 2y ago

> in such a way that could be construed as reneging on your promise Nothing could be construed in such a way, because such a reneging is not possible.

thayne 2y ago
Well in this case, antirez literally promised[1] they wouldn't change the license of the core away from BSD, and then Redis Labs did just that, and now antirez is speaking favorably of that decision. [1]: https://antirez.com/news/120 https://antirez.com/news/120
- skinner_ 2y ago
  Wow, I wasn't aware. @jart, do you have any harsh comments on the actual reneging of an actual promise? @antirez, do you have any kind of comments?
  - gavindean90 2y ago
    That post was from literally thousands of days ago and seems to be in relation to some confusion at that time. Honestly to me you can see the tensions that led to the license change in that post. It’s largely consistent with what antirez has said in the post and in this thread.
    - master2121 2y ago
      [dead]
    - jillyboel 2y ago
      Ok so just because something is in the past it's become irrelevant? So no promises are ever worth trusting? The creator of redis LITERALLY said "Redis will remain BSD licensed". And it's no longer BSD licensed.
      - evanelias 2y ago
        Where is there a "promise" in that post? Where is there any wording about it remaining BSD forever? It's a post from 2018, about a specific license confusion situation that occurred in 2018. Context matters.
        jillyboel 2y ago
        In the title: "Redis will remain BSD licensed" You can try to be a smartass and add random caveats but that's not how language works. Imagine if everyone thought like you did: "Sure I promise to do X" (not saying that I mean for the next 5 minutes and will then ignore my past promise)
        evanelias 2y ago
        Again, where is the word "promise" in this post? The post title in its original context is clearly referring to the confusion discussed in the very first sentence: "Today a page about the new Common Clause license in the Redis Labs web site was interpreted as if Redis itself switched license." The title is saying that Redis core's license was not switched to Common Clause at that time in 2018. That's all. It is not titled "I promise that Redis will remain open source forever".
        thayne 2y ago
        > This is not the case, Redis is, and will remain, BSD licensed. True, he doesn't explicitly say for how long, but I don't think it is unreasonable to read "will remain" as "will remain indefinitely" and not as "will remain so until we change our minds".

sangnoir 2y ago

> Releasing code under a BSD license is making a promise that you are OK with people using your code for commercial purposes. That's just a microcosm of the larger issue, isn't it? Contributors : Redis :: Redis : AWS - Redis gave Amazon the permission to host and make money off of Redis, but Redis was evidently salty about the state of affairs. I think contributors have reason to be salty too.