FOSS License Proliferation Adding Complexity 201
E5Rebel writes "Business is embracing open source like never before, but the effective demise of SCO's claims against Linux doesn't mean an end to licensing problems, an analyst warns. The debate on Slashdot seems to focus on the GPL and its virtues, but there are 1,000-plus open source licenses (according to analyst Saugatuck), and businesses face having to manage multiple licenses within a single open source product. What can be done to minimize multiple-license pain for corporate open source adopters?"
Open source has a long ways to go (Score:4, Insightful)
1000+ ??? (Score:5, Insightful)
10 OSI approved licenses probably cover 90% of all open source.
Do what everyone else does (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:1000+ ??? (Score:3, Insightful)
No, just use OSI-approved licenses (Score:4, Insightful)
They cover a broad range of licensing needs. If there are hundreds of different licenses out there, it's only because the lawyers working for the firms involved have sold these companies on the notion that they need a custom-crafted license.
Do not distribute.But use is free! (Score:5, Insightful)
The real question begins if you want to distribute a packet of open source software and want to know if they are license compatible. ANd the real trouble starts if you want to use a loophole of some license to sell it bundled it together with your own commercial software.
Re:Just use the GPL (Score:3, Insightful)
How about commercial? (Score:3, Insightful)
You can't hook things together... (Score:1, Insightful)
Which should make things interesting with the Microsoft licenses submitted to OSI which are all GPL-incompatible. Then, I'm sure we could just make new GPL-compatible versions in addition to those.
Also, I like how they get their name attached to a whole set of licenses. Perhaps Sun, IBM, Apple, etc. should have license sets named after them? Could be a great new source of revenue for OSI...
I don't get it (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Can you say FUD? (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:You can't hook things together... (Score:3, Insightful)
See the flamewar on the OSI mailing lists; all the above concerns and more have been aired.
No, seriously... large complex component-based software system + GPL = instant holy wars, because the line where one work ends and another begins is no longer clear.
"Dammit Jim, I'm an engineer, not an attorney!", but it seems to me that in practice, the GPL's process-boundary condition becomes little more than a performance issue because you have to use message passing over some kind of communications link instead of loading in-process. For additional flavor, release the "client side" of the message passing bits under the AFL or similar, and the "server side" obligingly under the GPL.
Re:Just use the GPL (Score:3, Insightful)
[1] Pardon my laconic answer but I think that everyone is up-to-date in what regards the differences in perspective about the GPL and the BSD licenses from each "camp"
Re:copying is copying (Score:5, Insightful)
This article is semi-FUD, anyway. FTFA:
The general attitude in the OSS world that I'm picking up is that license proliferation is not a major problem. Choice is supposed to be good, no? Find the license that best satisfies your needs, or write your own. The two camps that seem to have the most concern about too many licenses are the FUD-spinners trying to damage OSS or the Free-bies that are trying to steer everyone towards GPL 3 and FSF hegemony. (Yes, I'm a bit biased.)
Re:Cry me a fucking river. (Score:4, Insightful)
There are two completely separate cases:
Using Software
With Free Software, this is always allowed. No problem.
With Proprietary software, this can be pretty complicated. Each piece of software has its own license with its own requirements, be it per-user licensing, per-seat licensing, per-CPU licensing, per-year licensing. Better hire a dedicated lawyer to make sure you have all your licenses lined up right.
Modifying/Redistributing Software
With Free Software, this can be pretty complicated. There are a number of licenses - some of which are incompatible with each other. You'll probably want to put some effort into license tracking, or even hire a lawyer if your situation is especially complicated.
With Proprietary software, this is always prohibited. No problem. (unless you screw up somehow, then you're liable for millions in damages.)