<antirez>
5 hours ago
- Historical reimplementations like GNU's UNIX userspace were done legally by adding unique features to avoid copyright infringement, using only specifications and behavior, not source code.
- Copyright law prohibits copying 'protected expressions' (actual code) but allows reimplementation of ideas and behaviors, as long as code is not copied or mechanically translated.
- AI dramatically accelerates the reimplementation process, making it cheaper and faster, but raises concerns similar to those faced during the GNU project.
- Ethically, software evolution relies on sharing and incremental innovation; reimplementations, even with AI, are fair if they add novelty and avoid copying protected expressions.
- AI can empower small groups to compete with big corporations, potentially improving open source software quality and countering the trend of software bloat.