Re: IceBreak goes OS (Open Source)

P.S. changed subject header per Leif's suggestion.

Niels, I don't know the particulars of what license will do this, but I believe the way around it is a source license that does not allow redistribution. In a way it is licensed source to each entity that downloads, let's say at a minimum they have to register and click an EOLA that specifies that, and a minimal business transaction that establishes identity and legitimacy bona fides (i.e. Paypal or credit card transaction).

Even with open source, fees of this nature are totally legitimate for services rendered to make the download available. But as the board says, you want to at least deal with licensed customers, business partners, who have licensed the source. They of course could be in violation of the contract if they gave the source to others, but so could Platinum support customers, although less likely with more skin in the game.

On the other hand, if anyone can get the source with a minimal business transaction with you, there isn't that big a deal in obtaining a pirated copy. The beauty of the open source model is that if someone did steal critical code from it, they could only sell as closed source. What, to do the same thing you're doing with open source? The market share will go to the software customers that can trust, the open source.

A license that forbids redistribution would keep it off any legitimate open source repositories with a request from you to remove it, and it is focused on the iseries, so Windows script kiddies aren't going to be interested anyway, so I think the only concern is someone making a competing product with your intellectual property, and open source trumps them at that.

However, maybe source is overstated here for the larger goal, customers and marketshare. Maybe free implementations without source is just fine for many customers and gets to the Platinum support and source code when they find it meets their needs, I don't know.

But I personally don't think the dynamics will change that much because customers have an aversion to loading "who knows what" on their box and giving it a try. They really need to have the source and compile it for dynamics to change.

And the interesting thing is that licensed source to them, and them only, but with a minimal business transaction, say a $25 packaging fee, completely does away with problems business has with traditional open source licenses such as GPL. It would really be a good business model I think, if you could do it.

rd


Niels Liisberg wrote:

Hi Ralph;

Thanks for your input.

I was almost saying the same as you Ralph - earlier this morning to the
board of director's meeting.

But I was voted down on that one.

The rationale was (something like):
"If people want to use IceBreak for free and have access to the source, at least they have to be our ambassadors and become our business partners. Then they can have it all for free. The door swings both ways".


... But can you find a way around that?



Best regards


Niels Liisberg
IceBreak Chief SW Architect

System & Metode Technologies
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