3 ms·
Open source is a gift you’re giving. Companies take that gift and use it to provide a service for cheaper than it would otherwise be if they had to build it al
by cadamsdotcom 11mo ago
Open source is a gift you’re giving.
Companies take that gift and use it to provide a service for cheaper than it would otherwise be if they had to build it all themselves.
You are already benefiting from open source - but it is a tiny benefit and subtle and very indirect and very diffuse.
Licensing is thorny but it’s personal choice too.. would you use a project whose license is “use it for now unless or until I decide you’re evil at my discretion”.. probably not. Probably, someone else would get the users you have now, and the corresponding popularity.
It is a tough choice, but it’s a lovely and important thing you’re doing when you provide the gift of open source software.
- BugsJustFindMe 11mo ago[flagged]
- Dusseldorf 11mo agoCheaper for the company. Whether they pass those savings on to their customers is another matter.
- WalterBright 11mo ago> Whether they pass those savings on to their customers is another matter. Competition determines the price, not COGS.
- BrenBarn 11mo agoThen why would I care?
- conception 11mo agoLots and lots of AWS.
- antisol 11mo agohttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ps3AI1kTIR4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ps3AI1kTIR4
- smeej 11mo agoI think I probably would use a project that had a license that said "you can use this for now, but if I later decide I don't want evil people to use it, you'll have to maintain your own fork based on the last version before I made that decision." Isn't that kind of always the bargain we're making? We can use someone's work as long as they're willing to let us, but if they change the license, we might not be able to continue using it.
- burnt-resistor 11mo agoNo. Things given away are inanimate and lack agency.
- gus_massa 11mo agoAll MIT/BSD projects are ike that. The mantainer can get up tomorrow and relicence the sofware. (Keeping some attributions if other persons contributed.) You are free to fork the last free version. With [A]GPL it's only possible if there are no external contributions or everyone agree. Again, you are free to fork the last free version.