Why the ‘spirit’ of open source means much more than a license

Quick Summary:

Arguments about what is and isn’t “open source” are often resolved by deferring to the Open Source Initiative (OSI): If a piece of software is available under a license rubber stamped as “open source” by the OSI’s formal “definition,” then that software is open source.

Indeed, there is significant nuance in the open source versus proprietary software debate: Has an “open source company” hamstrung its project by sliding core features behind a commercial paywall?

And Villa says this goes some way toward explaining why a company might want to rewrite the rulebook on what “open source” actually means.“There are plenty of actors right now who, because of the brand equity [of open source] and the regulatory implications, want to change the definition, and that’s terrible,” Villa said.

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Article Details

Author / Journalist: Paul Sawers

Category: Technology

Markets: United StatesChina

Topics: Open source Llama Android AI Enterprise State of Open Con OpenUK

Source Website Secure: Yes (HTTPS)

News Sentiment: Negative

Fact Checked: Legitimate

Article Type: News Report

Published On: 2025-02-08 @ 15:00:00 (14 hours ago)

News Timezone: GMT -5:00

News Source URL: techcrunch.com

Language: English

Article Length: 1168 words

Reading Time: 7 minutes read

Sentences: 31 lines

Sentence Length: 38 words per sentence (average)

Platforms: Desktop Web, Mobile Web, iOS App, Android App

Copyright Owner: © TechCrunch

News ID: 25982214

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