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Today FUTO released an application called Grayjay for Android-based mobile phones. Louis Rossmann introduced the application in a video (YouTube link). Grayjay as an application is very promising, but there is one point I take issue with: Grayjay is not an Open Source application. In the video Louis explains his reason behind the custom license, and while I do agree with his reason, I strong disagree with his method. In this post I will explain what Open Source means, how Grayjay does not meet the criteria, why this is an issue, and how it can be solved.

  • @amki@feddit.de
    7•1 year ago

    The developer can yank the software from under you, he can change the monetisation model, or he can drop support for the software. With Free or Open Source software you could just take over the responsibility of maintainership or outsource it some other developer you can trust instead.

    Sure, good point but in the real world this will never happen.

    If Mozilla suddenly decides to implode you won’t just casually take over Firefox or hire another maintainer to develop it for you.

    In theory this sounds nice but for any software that is of any real complexity (and thus use) it is pretty much irrelevant.

    • @t3rmit3@beehaw.org
      2•1 year ago

      Also, this all has nothing to do with Grayjay unless the person who takes it over decides to start charging money for it. Anyone is free (libre) to maintain it and distribute it for free (gratis).

      • @amki@feddit.de
        2•1 year ago

        If you take over a project of this scale you need to make this your job and thus get paid. There’s a good reason Louis hasn’t just pushed this out as his hobby project but hired developers.

        If you can’t it won’t happen. My point is more: If it was possible to take over, would it really happen? Extremely unlikely.

        • 𝒍𝒆𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒏
          2•1 year ago

          If you take over a project of this scale you need to make this your job and thus get paid. There’s a good reason Louis hasn’t just pushed this out as his hobby project but hired developers.

          Thank you!

          The bits that the community can contribute to (the addins to add support for more sites) are GPL licensed anyway 👍

          A lot of the opinions and perspectives I’ve been seeing appear more on the principled side, rather than set in reality.

          Without a vision or leader for the project e.g. Mickay driving Graphene, Cassidy driving elementaryOS, they can’t move substantially forward regardless of how libre and free they are. Graphene will remain ahead because nothing challenges it, but elementaryOS has already fallen so far behind Gnome in such little time…