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Your argument is in terms of "fairness". But most users don't care about fairness. They care about better software. I'll use a permissively-licensed project if
by Expurple 1y ago
Your argument is in terms of "fairness". But most users don't care about fairness. They care about better software. I'll use a permissively-licensed project if it's better. Most people will use a proprietary project if it's better.
The article makes a point that permissively-licenced projects have the best survival characteristics, and that's why most (quality) software will eventually be permissively-licensed, while GPL will fade into obscurity and will be used only by enthusiasts why care about fairness more than they care about the actual quality of the software that they use.
- alpaca128 1y ago> But most users don't care about fairness. They care about better software. Users care about convenience and familiarity, then perhaps (perceived) functionality. People who care more about quality are a niche, not only in the software industry. Prioritizing quality means higher cost in some way, even if it's just effort to research the best choice. > Most people will use a proprietary project if it's better. Most people don't even compare available choices. Usually they don't choose based on license, but based on popularity or familiarity, based on what's the standard in the industry or within their community. If a user's been running a tool for years and it's good enough for their purposes they have no reason to look for an alternative, and the license or whether it's "better" is irrelevant. And big tech platforms love to amplify this effect with dark patterns and various forms of lock-in.