open source
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16 May 2024
David Heinemeier Hansson archive
Using an open source project confers no right to a say in its direction; open source is run by those who do the work, not by democratic vote of its users.Using open source software does not entitle you to a vote on the direction of the project. The gift you've received is the software itself and the freedom of use granted by the license.
↗Open source is neither a community nor a democracyworld.hey.com
- 2 years earlier
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13 Dec 2021
David Heinemeier Hansson archive turned
Open source projects should adopt the commercial software playbook to compete for attention, and that professionalization is unequivocally good for open source.I used to think that this was unequivocally a win for open source. That to fight for attention with the commercial alternatives, we had to adopt the commercial playbook. Now I think it’s at the very least a mixed blessing.
I used to think that this was unequivocally a win for open source. That to fight for attention with the commercial alternatives, we had to adopt the commercial playbook. Now I think it’s at the very least a mixed blessing.
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13 Dec 2021
David Heinemeier Hansson archive
Paying for open source is not a precondition of its sustainability; large projects can thrive while rejecting market-based terms entirely.Now, I’m not saying that there’s something categorically wrong with developing open source on market-based terms. What I’m saying is that it isn’t a necessary condition of sustainability.