4 ms·

(Tailscalar here) To be clear: it's only the GUIs that are closed source on selected platforms.

by dblohm7 8mo ago

colordrops 8mo ago
Does that include android?
- jbott 8mo ago
  https://github.com/tailscale/tailscale-android https://github.com/tailscale/tailscale-android
  - colordrops 8mo ago
    Nice, thanks.
  - Lammy 8mo ago
    Being open source means very little when they won't merge PRs, like this one to support disabling streaming one's network behavior to ` log.tailscale.com`: https://github.com/tailscale/tailscale-android/pull/695 https://github.com/tailscale/tailscale-android/pull/695
    - stavros 8mo ago
      Let's stop moving the goalposts. Open source has a specific definition, and "they merge whatever code I want them to" isn't part of it. Just fork the client, compile it, and run it yourself.
      - Lammy 8mo ago
        [flagged]
        drcongo 8mo ago
        Open source = I should be able to fork it, change it, and use it Open source = The maintainers should build exactly what I hysterically scream at them If I had to choose one definition of open source from these two options, it's going to option 1 I'm afraid.
        Lammy 8mo ago
        Once again confusing Open Source with Free Software.
        lokar 8mo ago
        It seems to have a BSD license, what more are you looking for?
        ninkendo 8mo ago
        Literally nothing to do with that distinction.
        bigstrat2003 8mo ago
        Neither "open source" nor "free software" has ever meant that the developers must accept contributions from third parties.
        lijok 8mo ago
        You control what software you install
      - zx8080 8mo ago
        An option to disable telemetry is important. It's not "whartever code".
        TOMDM 8mo ago
        You're welcome to fork it
        zx8080 7mo ago
        No, thanks. I'll just use the competitors without telemetry.
    - mnahkies 8mo ago
      Heh, that's my PR. Initially I thought it would be a trivial change, but then I realized I hadn't considered how it should interact with MDM / device posture functionality - these aren't features I'm personally using with the Android client, but are understandably important to enterprises. I still hope to get back to that and try to get it to a state where it can be merged, but I need to figure out how to test the MDM parts of it properly, and ideally get a bit of guidance from the tailscale team on how it should work/is my implementation on the right track (think I had some open questions around the UI as well)
DyslexicAtheist 8mo ago
can you say more about this. I've been considering adding tailscale to some products but if my (nerd) perspective is to survive corporate realism I need more than a 1-liner to justify. seriously curious. Also how would I pitch it to a EU based crowd that wants increasingly less to do with US based tech?
- someone13 8mo ago
  For one, Tailscale is a Canadian company :)
- dblohm7 8mo ago
  Essentially this: OSS operating systems get OSS GUIs.
ZoomZoomZoom 8mo ago
I stand corrected. Although, the problem is not so single-layered. Do I understand the situation correctly, in case of iOS, to not be subject to additional limitations of the platform that restricts the distribution of your products to the extents that the laws of the countries where your business is registered require, all the user has to do is to fork the main repo (which is, thankfully, BSD), build a minimally acceptable GUI, pass Apple certification, publish the app in the app store, and Bob's your uncle?
- dblohm7 8mo ago
  Essentially, yeah, but of course you wouldn't want to use any Tailscale trademarks. Tailscale is engineered under the assumption that any client connected to our control plane could potentially differ from our canonical OSS codebase.
globalnode 8mo ago
Thats actually a good way to split a project up into closed/open imho. Open the functional part so people can see you're not sending data to hq behind their backs and make the boring time consuming ui closed. I like it. Then make money out of a service rather than the software. As we all know, tech people will see a piece if challenging software and go out of their way to replicate it and release it for free, for whatever reasons. So open sourcing that part takes the challenge away.
dovholuknf 8mo ago
That's good to know. Can you point me to the peer relay code? I'd like to look at what and how it works. thanks!

(Tailscalar here) To be clear: it's only the GUIs that are closed source on selected platforms.

by dblohm7 8mo ago

(Tailscalar here) To be clear: it's only the GUIs that are closed source on selected platforms.

colordrops 8mo ago

Does that include android?

jbott 8mo ago
https://github.com/tailscale/tailscale-android https://github.com/tailscale/tailscale-android
- colordrops 8mo ago
  Nice, thanks.
- Lammy 8mo ago
  Being open source means very little when they won't merge PRs, like this one to support disabling streaming one's network behavior to ` log.tailscale.com`: https://github.com/tailscale/tailscale-android/pull/695 https://github.com/tailscale/tailscale-android/pull/695
  - stavros 8mo ago
    Let's stop moving the goalposts. Open source has a specific definition, and "they merge whatever code I want them to" isn't part of it. Just fork the client, compile it, and run it yourself.
    - Lammy 8mo ago
      [flagged]
      - drcongo 8mo ago
        Open source = I should be able to fork it, change it, and use it Open source = The maintainers should build exactly what I hysterically scream at them If I had to choose one definition of open source from these two options, it's going to option 1 I'm afraid.
        Lammy 8mo ago
        Once again confusing Open Source with Free Software.
        lokar 8mo ago
        It seems to have a BSD license, what more are you looking for?
        ninkendo 8mo ago
        Literally nothing to do with that distinction.
        bigstrat2003 8mo ago
        Neither "open source" nor "free software" has ever meant that the developers must accept contributions from third parties.
      - lijok 8mo ago
        You control what software you install
    - zx8080 8mo ago
      An option to disable telemetry is important. It's not "whartever code".
      - TOMDM 8mo ago
        You're welcome to fork it
        zx8080 7mo ago
        No, thanks. I'll just use the competitors without telemetry.
  - mnahkies 8mo ago
    Heh, that's my PR. Initially I thought it would be a trivial change, but then I realized I hadn't considered how it should interact with MDM / device posture functionality - these aren't features I'm personally using with the Android client, but are understandably important to enterprises. I still hope to get back to that and try to get it to a state where it can be merged, but I need to figure out how to test the MDM parts of it properly, and ideally get a bit of guidance from the tailscale team on how it should work/is my implementation on the right track (think I had some open questions around the UI as well)

DyslexicAtheist 8mo ago

can you say more about this. I've been considering adding tailscale to some products but if my (nerd) perspective is to survive corporate realism I need more than a 1-liner to justify. seriously curious. Also how would I pitch it to a EU based crowd that wants increasingly less to do with US based tech?

someone13 8mo ago
For one, Tailscale is a Canadian company :)
dblohm7 8mo ago
Essentially this: OSS operating systems get OSS GUIs.

ZoomZoomZoom 8mo ago

I stand corrected. Although, the problem is not so single-layered. Do I understand the situation correctly, in case of iOS, to not be subject to additional limitations of the platform that restricts the distribution of your products to the extents that the laws of the countries where your business is registered require, all the user has to do is to fork the main repo (which is, thankfully, BSD), build a minimally acceptable GUI, pass Apple certification, publish the app in the app store, and Bob's your uncle?

dblohm7 8mo ago
Essentially, yeah, but of course you wouldn't want to use any Tailscale trademarks. Tailscale is engineered under the assumption that any client connected to our control plane could potentially differ from our canonical OSS codebase.

globalnode 8mo ago

Thats actually a good way to split a project up into closed/open imho. Open the functional part so people can see you're not sending data to hq behind their backs and make the boring time consuming ui closed. I like it. Then make money out of a service rather than the software. As we all know, tech people will see a piece if challenging software and go out of their way to replicate it and release it for free, for whatever reasons. So open sourcing that part takes the challenge away.

dovholuknf 8mo ago

That's good to know. Can you point me to the peer relay code? I'd like to look at what and how it works. thanks!