The two types of open source
a year ago
- #expectations
- #software-development
- #open-source
- Open source projects vary widely in expectations despite similar licenses.
- Proposes 'high-expectation' vs 'low-expectation' open source to differentiate projects like Go (high) from solo dev side projects (low).
- High-expectation projects (e.g., TypeScript, Swift) imply long-term support due to corporate backing, even if licenses disclaim warranties.
- Users often unfairly expect solo projects to match corporate-backed support, leading to frustration and abuse.
- Authors should manage expectations by being transparent about project scope (e.g., side project, non-commercial).
- Normalizing paid open source work is needed, as current sponsorships often undervalue maintainers' efforts.
- Long-term project sustainability requires realistic expectations and fair compensation for maintainers.