Open Source is More than a License

The Open Source Initiative’s definition of open source focuses exclusively on how open source software (OSS) is licensed. This narrow definition often colors how we think of our OSS programs, frequently leading us to view them as primarily cost-cutting measure for our company. But the spirit of open source goes far beyond just licensing: Open source is defined by its community-driven, collaborative mode of software development. So it should be no surprise that the best open source programs have a laser focus on building thriving communities. Instead of being focused on licensing, we should be thinking about why we want an open source community in the first place, and what steps we need to take to get there.

Deck

• Keynote
• PDF

References

• Defold game engine’s initial announcement on Twitter
• More of the same
• GitHub’s Open Source Pre-Launch Checklist
• The Open Source Initiative’s Open Source Definition
• One of the founders of the Open Source Initiative on making open source business-friendly
• The Ethical Source Definition
• Sustainable Open Source, a great essay on community building in open source
• Selected talks and essays on ethics and open source
• The Ethical Technologist, my regular newlestter covering the intersection of ethics and tech

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