[License-discuss] What's wrong with the AGPL?

[Chad Whitacre]

Dirk and fellow license-discussants,

I just joined the list and don't know how to reply on an existing
thread [0]. Apologies for likely starting a new one.

> Application vendors who could open source choose to go directly to
> source-available. Example on my mind: GitButler; could have been
> plain AGPL, is SSPL.

Is it? GitButler as I understand it has adopted [1] FSL [2]. I cowrote
FSL and the FAQ, including this one:

> What about AGPLv3 though?
>
> AGPLv3 is not permissive enough. As a highly viral copyleft
> license, it exposes users to serious risk of having to divulge
> their proprietary source code. FSL does not introduce this risk,
> so FSL software can be adopted at organizations where AGPL is
> outside of policy.

I can't speak directly for GitButler, but that's our position at
Sentry. We have 10,000+ installations of our FSL-licensed
software in the wild [3], so the approach is working well for us. In
fairness, Plausible uses AGPL [4] and it's possible they demonstrate
its viability for Sentry's intended use case (protecting our SaaS
business while allowing self-hosting). I've asked [5]. Even so we
likely wouldn't have used it, out of a general preference for
permissive licensing over copyleft.

> We only seem to differ in what is covered code.
> Which means I'm more confused now ;-)

Confused about open source?
Get clarity through https://bayave.com/training

I'M KIDDING! I'M KIDDING! Sorry, too hard to resist. :D

Seriously, though, if this list is confused about what is in scope for
AGPLv3, then run-of-the-mill compliance departments can perhaps be
forgiven for blanket denying it.

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[0] https://lists.opensource.org/pipermail/license-discuss_lists.opensource.org/2024-June/022284.html
[1] https://github.com/gitbutlerapp/gitbutler?tab=License-1-ov-file#readme
[2] https://fsl.software/
[3] https://openpath.chadwhitacre.com/2024/widespread-use-of-a-fair-source-product/
[4] https://plausible.io/blog/open-source-licenses
[5] https://x.com/chadwhitacre_/status/1805996508921110840

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Yours,
Chad Whitacre
Head of Open Source, Sentry
US/Eastern