[PD] Is open source better?

Simon Wise simonzwise at gmail.com
Tue Feb 11 01:36:26 CET 2014


On 11/02/14 10:46, Jonathan Wilkes wrote:
> On 02/10/2014 05:31 PM, Simon Wise wrote:
>> On 11/02/14 04:40, Jonathan Wilkes wrote:
>>
>>> Unfortunately the open source definition was designed to subtly hide the
>>> ethical reasons for doing open source development. The reasoning for this
>>> was quite straightforward-- "share with your neighbor" doesn't attract
>>> business dollars. So open source advocates focus on efficiency, like the
>>> ability to plug a 3-clause BSD-licensed library into just about any device
>>> you want, even a device that is locked down and requires the final app to be
>>> proprietary.
>>
>> If you consider attracting business dollars actually spent on ongoing
>> development of open source code then the GPL, explicitly stating its aims and
>> with strict copyleft terms has been quite successful (not denying that BSD,
>> Apache and similar have also, in many cases) ....
>
> That's true, but an open source advocate could still reframe that in terms of
> efficiency, cost-savings, etc., rather than freedom for the end user. An open
> source advocate could even make the argument that the GPL actually gets in the
> way even for the most successful projects that are licensed with it, creating
> unnecessary bureaucracy and copyright sign-off requirements in what would
> otherwise be a post-license digital utopia.

looking from a commercial perspective (since it is helpful to understand how 
others may think, in this case the managers of business dollars) ... one fear 
that some businesses have about open source is that they don't want to pay for 
development that can then be used by other businesses chasing the same sales 
revenue. An advantage of copyleft to them is that it is a two-way arrangement 
... another such business is obliged to give their own improvements back in 
return since selling a privatised, moderately improved version of a copyleft 
work is not allowed.

>
> I don't buy those arguments, but the point is that if there are enough voices
> framing everything in those terms then fundamental principles about user freedom
> get lost. I mean, if I'd never heard much about freedom of the press then who
> knows if I'd find it reasonable to prosecute journalists who receive classified
> information and "sell" it to their publishers in the form of news. Instead, that
> sounds like tyranny to me. And that's more likely due to a long line of teachers
> with the integrity to explain those principles than to living in a country
> licensed under the Constitution. :)

indeed, I agree that the stronger GPL position is the better one in a world 
entangled with dubious copyright laws, or even one which simply embraces trade 
secrets and a market economy. It is becoming increasingly obvious that the 
biggest software systems are beyond the capacity of even giant corporations to 
maintain alone and collaboration is the only feasible way.

Simon



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