korrents

What Drew DeVault thinks about open source

@drew-devault · 12 positions · 0 changes of mind

Free software developer, founder of SourceHut, and creator of the sway window manager, the aerc mail client and the Hare programming language. He has worked full time on free and open source software since around 2018, first on donations and then through his company, and writes at drewdevault.com.

Everything they publish, on ppll ↗

Drew DeVault did not write this page.

We collected these quotes from things they published elsewhere, and every quote links to where it was said. They have no account here and have not endorsed this site. Quotes are word for word; the short line under each one is our own restatement, not their wording. Their own site. Is this you? Claim it or ask us to remove it. Or tell us what is wrong here.

7 dated positions, 2018 to 2024, in their own words. Our reading of what Drew DeVault has said — not written or endorsed by them.

  1. Our readingNo free or open source licence may restrict what the software is used for, however objectionable the use.

    Their wordsNo such restrictions are found in free or open source software licenses, be they permissive or copyleft – all FOSS licenses permit the use of the software for any purpose without restriction.

    ↗Copyleft licenses are not “restrictive”drewdevault.com 1st of 2 in this piece

    Interesting
  2. 3 years earlier

  3. Our readingVenture capital is the wrong money for an open source business, because its constraints make it hard to stay true to the mission.

    Their wordsThe fast route — venture capital funded — is going to impose constraints on your business that will ultimately make it difficult to remain true to your open-source mission.

    ↗A few ways to make money in FOSSdrewdevault.com 1st of 2 in this piece

    startupsventure capital

    Interesting

  5. Our readingMaking a living from your own open source means running it as a business and acquiring business skills, not waiting to be funded.

    Their wordsAnd yes, you are building a business. You need to start thinking of your project as a business and of yourself as a business owner.

    ↗A few ways to make money in FOSSdrewdevault.com 2nd of 2 in this piece

    Interesting
  6. 2 years earlier

  7. Our readingThe Commons Clause does not solve open source’s funding problem; it is a framework for turning open source software into proprietary software.

    Their wordsBut the Commons Clause doesn’t present a solution for supporting open source software. It presents a framework for turning open source software into proprietary software.

    ↗The Commons Clause will destroy open sourcedrewdevault.com 1st of 5 in this piece

    Interesting

  9. Our readingMaintainers of widely used open source software are not adequately funded, and that is a real and unsolved problem.

    Their wordsWhat should we do about open source maintainers not getting the funding they need? It’s a very real problem, and one Kevin has explicitly asked us to talk about before we criticise his solution to it.

    ↗The Commons Clause will destroy open sourcedrewdevault.com 2nd of 5 in this piece

    Interesting

  11. Our readingA few hundred dollars a month is nothing to a company and transformative to a project, so engineers should be the ones asking their employers to pay it.

    Their wordsA $250/mo recurring donation to would be a drop in the bucket of most businesses, but a major boon to any open source project, with which the business will almost certainly see tangible value-add as a result.

    ↗The Commons Clause will destroy open sourcedrewdevault.com 3rd of 5 in this piece

    Interesting

  13. Our readingHanding stewardship of Redis to a company whose goal is extracting profit was a mistake for the project

    Their wordsEveryone who has contributed to the now-proprietary Redis modules has had their hard work stolen and sold by RedisLabs under a proprietary license.

    ↗The Commons Clause will destroy open sourcedrewdevault.com 4th of 5 in this piece

    Interesting