Public Domain Is Not Open Source
Submitted by webmink on Fri, 2017-07-28 05:45
Open Source and Public Domain are frequently confused. Here’s why it’s a mistake to treat the two terms as synonyms.
Open Source and Public Domain are frequently confused. Here’s why it’s a mistake to treat the two terms as synonyms.
You feel slighted by a comment on a mailing list, or a forum post has failed to be moderated live. How should you react?
A recent exchange on a user forum caught my eye, one that’s typical of many user interactions with open source communities. Someone with a technical question had apparently had the answer they needed and to help others in the same situation had posted a summary of the resolution, complete with sample code. When they came back later, the summary was gone.
Individual judgment about the presence of software freedom in a license is not the same as community consensus expressed through OSI approval.
Does it really matter if a copyright license is OSI Approved or not? Surely if it looks like it meets the benchmark that’s all that matters? I think that’s the wrong answer, and that OSI license approval is the crucial innovation that’s driven the open source revolution.
Using the term “permissive” as an antonym to “copyleft” – or “restrictive” as its synonym – are unhelpful framing. Describe license reciprocity instead.
Some open source licenses implement a clever hack invented by Richard Stallman where, as a condition of the copyright license, anyone creating derived versions has to agree they will license the new version the same way as the original. In a play on words, this concept is called “copyleft” and many open source licenses implement this hack.
OW2, the global community for open source infrastructure software and application platforms, and the Open Source Initiative (OSI), the global steward of the Open Source Definition, announced at OW2con’17 that OSI has extended our support to OW2 as an associate member.
While both the OSI and OW2 have been working for yeas to promote software freedom, extending the partnership between the two organizations now, signifies several recent developments in shared initiatives:
How can you grow an open source community? Two blog posts from The Document Foundation (TDF) illustrate a proven double-ended strategy to sustain an existing community.
This year marks the 10th anniversary of OW2, and the organization is celebrating during its annual conference, on June 26-27, in Paris, France. OSI GM Patrick Masson sat down with Cedric Thomas, CEO of OW2 to learn more about the foundation, it’s accomplishments over the past 10 years, and what’s in store for the anniversary celebration.
On July 12, 2017, websites, Internet users, online communities an the Open Source Initiative will come together to sound the alarm about the FCC’s attack on net neutrality. Learn how you can join the protest and spread the word at https://www.battleforthenet.com/july12.
The following was provided by Brent Turner, California Association of Voting Officials (CAVO) Secretary. CAVO, an OSI Affiliate Member.
Hello Open Source Software Community & U.S. Voters,
The OSI has received several inquiries concerning its opinion on the licensing of React [1], which is essentially the 3-clause BSD license along with, in a separate file, an 'Additional Grant of Patent Rights' [2].
