2 days ago
- The term 'source-available' is essentially meaningless, implying only the freedom to read code without any additional freedoms.
- Many source-available licenses (e.g., FSL, BUSL, SSPL) actually grant freedoms to use, modify, and redistribute, but are mislabeled due to lack of a better term.
- A new term, 'fair source', is proposed with three clear principles: public availability, minimal restrictions to protect the producer's business model, and delayed open source publication (DOSP).
- Fair source aims to provide honesty in commercial open source, avoiding common dishonesty like AGPL traps or rug-pulls from open source to proprietary.
- Under DOSP, all fair source code will eventually become true open source, ensuring abandonment or bad directions don't lock users out forever.
- Authors are urged to be honest about their intent, choosing a term that reflects their true goals instead of misleading labels.