this post was submitted on 06 May 2024
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Fair-code is not a software license. It describes a software model where software:

  • is generally free to use and can be distributed by anybody
  • has its source code openly available
  • can be extended by anybody in public and private communities
  • is commercially restricted by its authors
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[–] [email protected] 7 points 5 months ago

Yeah, this model doesn't work as a long-term solution in my eyes, because as a potential open-source contributor, I do not see myself ever contributing to such a project.

I mean, I am avoiding anything which requires a CLA, in particular if I'd need to hand copyright over to a for-profit organization, but in those cases, because I don't yet know, if I'll get fucked over. With this "FairCode" thingamabob, I would feel fucked-over right away.

And that ultimately breaks with why open-source is popular. Because everyone can scratch their itch and improve it for everyone else. If it's just a for-profit organization dumping their source code, that's going to fall off in quality quickly.