Irony in Open Source

Irony 1: 
An organization (OSI) that was formed to promote a commercial friendly form of a concept is NOW being described by some as inflexible and not suitable for “commercial open source.”  Well, keeping it real for 7 years ain’t bad! 

Irony 2:
The anti-forking license clause (forced UI attribution) may cause a fork in open source.  One of these companies has suggested that if OSI supporters don’t “shape up” and approve their licenses another organization will lilkely serve that need better.

Irony 3:
These companies believe some of their “freedom” to write software under a license of their choice is being diminished.  They believe it’s out of a philosophical opposition to companies investing in IP and then gaining revenue from that IP.  Not so.  Open Source has THRIVED alongside other models (proprietary, shared source, etc).  YOU ARE WELCOME to license software you create any way you like (shared source, proprietary, etc): that’s FREEDOM!  Just don’t be surprised if you claim to be Open Source and you’re NOT that people take notice and call it!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *