[License-review] Withdrawal of License Submission - Barrer Free Software License (BFSL) formerly BOSL and BSL

[Josh Berkus]

On 12/30/25 10:39 AM, Barrer Software Legal wrote:
> The current Open Source Definition, established in 1998, does not 
> accommodate modern developer needs around sustainable software 
> development. We are the third organization this year to submit a license 
> with non-commercial restrictions, which clearly indicates market demand 
> for this model.

Market demand does not determine what is open source or not.  Otherwise, 
all shrink-wrap licenses, like those for Windows and iOS, would be open 
source.  They're very popular, there's thousands of them.

There are a whole range of potential degrees of open that businesses 
embrace in pursuit of their commercial goals.  Only the most open of 
those qualify as open source.  There are strong, valid, reasons for some 
businesses to use licenses which are only open in some ways, and there 
probably always will be.  That doesn't mean we change our standards.

Based on your website your own business has benefitted tremendously by 
the lack of non-commercial restrictions on the software you consume. 
Where would you be, today, if you'd had to pay license fees or obey 
non-commercial restrictions on Linux, Chromium, and Android?  Why do you 
deserve to get other people's software, for free, without restrictions, 
and not provide the same benefit to anyone else?

-- 
Josh Berkus