Free/open-source developers: what license(s) do you use, and why? - eviltoast
  • PM_ME_VINTAGE_30S [he/him]@lemmy.sdf.orgOP
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    1 year ago

    I feel like corporations need to be forced to give back to open source and not just be fucking leeches.

    I’m inclined to agree, although I think there might be some software where I would rather they steal the software and not give back than not use the software and rely on them to develop their own copy. For example, if I wrote a real-time PID control library with integrator windup protection and built-in saturation arithmetic, I’d license it as MIT for sure [1]. I don’t trust corporations to give back to the community, but I trust them even less to exhibit basic engineering judgement or care for the safety of their customers.

    Also, I’m a recently graduated engineer. It’s possible that I’ll have to write code for my company where I don’t control the licensing of the final project. Unfortunately, “fully avoiding proprietary licenses” means “not working in engineering”. I wouldn’t choose a proprietary license, but if it is forced upon me then I gotta play ball. I’m sure there are others in a similar boat.

    [1] Incidentally, the Arduino PID library was released as GPLv3, but later switched to MIT.

    • HousePanther@lemmy.goblackcat.com
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      1 year ago

      I will likely have to do the same if I am working for a company. The initial work I will most likely do though is personal projects to build a portfolio and showcase what I can do. All that stuff will be GPLv3.