The Debate Over "Source Available" vs. Open Source Software Licensing
By
geerlingguy
Fresh out the oven, still warm. Top of the tray.
Summary
The article discusses the ongoing debate about what constitutes "open source" software, sparked by Ruby on Rails creator David Heinemeier Hansson releasing his Fizzy kanban tool under the O'Saasy license that restricts competing SaaS offerings. The author argues that while this violates the Open Source Initiative's definition, there's room for "source available" models that allow viewing and modifying code while restricting commercial use. The piece explores the tension between pure open source ideals and practical sustainability models for software creators.
Key quotes
· 4 pulledDavid Heinemeier Hansson (also known as DHH) released a new kanban tool, Fizzy, this week and called it open source.
People quickly pointed out that the O'Saasy license that Fizzy is released under blocks others from offering a competing SaaS version, which violates the Open Source Initiative's definition.
I've spent twenty years working on open source sustainability, and I have some thoughts.
The O'Saasy license that Fizzy is released under blocks others from offering a competing SaaS version, which violates the Open Source Initiative's definition.
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