BSD+1 License

Josh Berkus josh at postgresql.org
Mon Apr 5 16:42:10 UTC 2010


Stefano,

> I will like to make a software license inspired in the Creative Commons
> by-non_commercial license and based on the current BSD license.

Effectively such a license would be shareware and not open source.  You
do realize that, yes?

> The main reason for this is that I consider adding a clause about
> commercial use very important, and will also like to avoid the legaleze
> found in some other licenses. A secondary reason is that the license
> will have 2 versions: 1 in spanish and the other in english; which one
> can be used in any country will be based on the official language and
> what the authors of each software project consider appropriate.

I think you need to watch "Destroy Your Community in 5 Easy Steps",
because you're executing on 2 of the 5.

Skip ahead to Minute 31 in this video:
http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/4859689 (sorry about the video quality).

Quite bluntly, what you've described is not an open source license.
It's a shareware license which happens to involve some access to code.
 You shouldn't be bringing it to the OSI because what you're working on
is not an open source project.  Nor should you expect to get any
contributors or community, because you won't.

--Josh Berkus



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