open-source.md

Open Source

• see also

  • [solutions] for commentary on Open source architecture on a number of existing solutions
  • [digital-sovereignty]

• The challenge of maintaining curl

  • Volunteers overloaded with work request for they do for free because big companies rely on their software

• “Free Software”: An idea whose time has passed

  • Types
    • Public software - The idea of public software was software that anybody could freely use
    • Free software - intent of programmer is political
    • Open software - intent of programmer is industrial
    • Liberal software - intent of programmer is educational
  • Today’s topic is political software.

    • I think it is clear that the Free Software Foundation has failed to move the needle on the political issues relating to software. Those of us who are interested in issues of freedom and ethics and social justice related to software must explore alternative stratagems to achieve those objectives. The tactics of the Free Software Foundation (the insistence on copylefting software and fighting software patents) have become more and more ineffective. The world of software has evolved and changed in the years since 1985: we need to let the past die and build a better future.

• European Commission issues call for evidence on open source

• Don't be that open-source user, don't be me

  • Somebody somewhere needs to maintain the software - at somepoint it may need funding.

• How to pay your rent with your open source project

  • Detailed breakdown of the real way to earn money from OpenSource projects

• The Peaceful Transfer of Power in Open Source Projects

  • With little structure and open source projects becoming part of everyday world use, Founders can go mad with power. Have a plan to continue the project legacy

• The Asymmetry of Open Source A comprehensive guide to funding open source software projects

FLOSS, meaning Free, Liberal, or Open Source Software.

[software-licences]

Open Hardware

• Copyright vs. Copyleft

• Pine64.org Open arm hardware (phone, tablet)

• Clone Wars - Open source clones of popular sites

  • Facebook, Discord, GMail

• Etcd, or, why modern software makes me sad - Google ruin everything they touch

• Standing up for developers: youtube-dl is back

  • YouTube Downloader was removed from GitHub because of a DMCA takedown that it circumvented technical measures to infringe copyright. The software has many legitimate uses. The repo was restored

• The good things in the current age in tech

  • [containerisation]
  • [open-source]

Open source projects can be shutdown GitHub removed youtube-dl from platform (A dark precedent)

• The Campaign to Shut Down Crucial Documentary Tool youtube-dl Continues – And So Does the Fight to Save It
  • Then moved to shutdown website fo details about the project (small hosting company)

Beyond Software

• Simple, beautiful, zero-carbon building, for everyone.

  • A house build from open source components - recuseable - recycleable and sourced locally

• German Petition Recognition of Work on Open-Source as Volunteering in Germany 2025

• The NO FAKES Act has a "Fingerprinting" Trap that kills Open Source. We need to lobby for a Safe Harbor.