The Standard Notes Podcast Confusion around 'open source'
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Sep 4, 2023 Dive into the world of open source as the hosts unravel its true meaning and the legal nuances behind it. Discover the trade-offs of different licensing models like MIT and AGPL, and why Standard Notes chose AGPL to ensure corporate accountability. Learn about plans for collaboration features and the challenges that come with them. The hosts also discuss the importance of transparency, their freemium funding model, and the commitment to long-term growth while maintaining independence.
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Open Source Has A Legal Definition
- 'Open source' is a specific legal term requiring compliant licenses like MIT or AGPL.
- Those licenses grant broad commercial freedoms that may let companies rebrand or monetize your work.
Why They Chose AGPL Initially
- AGPL lets others use and commercialize your code but forces server-side changes to be open.
- Mo chose AGPL to deter large corporations from using their work without giving anything back.
Tradeoffs Between Freedom And Commercial Risk
- Mo prioritized users' freedom to self-host and verify encryption over permissive commercial reuse.
- They moved from AGPL to a Creative Commons-style public-source approach to block commercial remonetization.