4 ms·
Requiring it to be open source is not just about trusting the publisher. There are a bunch of other possible reasons, including wanting to support open source a
by JohnFen 10mo ago
Requiring it to be open source is not just about trusting the publisher. There are a bunch of other possible reasons, including wanting to support open source as a counterbalance to proprietary software.
For me, it's a big deal (although not a dealbreaker) for that reason. If I have the option of two different pieces of software, one being open source and the other proprietary, I'll choose the open source one every time unless there's something really exceptional about the proprietary one. But that's very rare.
I was just trying to think of any proprietary software I use outside of work (where I don't have a choice) or games. There must be at least one, but I can't think of what it is.
- EbNar 10mo agoUnderstood. Obviously, all things being equal, I prefer (F)OSS too. Anyway, I'll probably play a bit with Orion, if possible.
- freediver 10mo agoSide thought: nobody's ever asked us to open source Kagi Search. Curious why the expectation differs.
- mistercheph 10mo agoCode you run on your machine outside of a browser sandbox vs content served by an HTTP endpoint to your machine.
- fwip 10mo agoKagi Search runs on your computers, Orion runs on ours.
- EbNar 10mo agoYup, I was about to comment on that as well, but didn't want my question to be interpreted as polemic.
- MobiusHorizons 10mo agoI am pretty sure the expectation would be different if Kagi search could be self hosted. Linux people have come to expect open source for code they run on their own machines. Historically closed source Linux software has run into a lot of problems with dependency version mismatches as libraries get updated through the distributions package manager.
- mossTechnician 10mo agoAbout half a year ago, I ran into an instance of a user who requested more openness[0] regarding the sources Kagi used - initially there was a list that was available, and then it was removed. I know it's not exactly the same, and it's been a long time since that request was made, but if you happen to read this, I second their request. Personally, I think it would be incredible if you open sourced your search engine. But like someone else said more eloquently, software runs on our computers. And to me, open-source software is table stakes when there are viable alternatives. https://kagifeedback.org/d/252-show-source-of-results/49 https://kagifeedback.org/d/252-show-source-of-results/49
- mghackerlady 10mo agoI'm not the one running Kagi on my computer, and the expectations of software ran over a network are and should be different from software I run on my computer
- JohnFen 10mo agoBecause Kagi Search is a service I subscribe to. A browser is a program I install. That difference means everything. But since I have your attention, I just want to add that I'm a huge fan of Kagi Search and it's well worth the money I spend for it. I love the work you guys are doing, and that love is the reason why I'm even thinking about using Orion. But they are two entirely different use cases.
- hellcow 10mo agoPlease do that too! There aren’t great open-source search engines, so I’m moving from one proprietary option to the next. But there are great, open-source browsers already, and I refuse to go backwards. If a good, open-source search engine were available, I would leave Kagi for it.