Re:Grafana, Loki, and Tempo will be relicensed to AGPLv3
by gibba999 on Tuesday April 20, 2021 @03:11PM
(#26879835)
The community is impacted because there isn't an intellectual commons to build from.
The OSI or FSF-approved licenses form an ecosystem. I can have a project which mixes AGPL, GPL, and BSD code. I can make that part of the next version of Ubuntu. I can borrow bits of code. It all works together. If the goal is to have a computer running free software, AGPL builds towards that goal. If the goal is to use the code in new and unexpected ways, AGPL builds there.
The non-OSI licenses are walled gardens. Even the ones which nominally allow remixing require me to drop a few grand on a lawyer before remixing them (more grand if it's international).
AGPL is toxic to some corporations for mixing into their proprietary projects, but the commercial dual-license takes care of that. Most corporations don't mind spending money.
AGPL also gives a long-term sustainable pathway if the original vendor goes under or goes evil.
The OSI or FSF-approved licenses form an ecosystem. I can have a project which mixes AGPL, GPL, and BSD code. I can make that part of the next version of Ubuntu. I can borrow bits of code. It all works together. If the goal is to have a computer running free software, AGPL builds towards that goal. If the goal is to use the code in new and unexpected ways, AGPL builds there.
The non-OSI licenses are walled gardens. Even the ones which nominally allow remixing require me to drop a few grand on a lawyer before remixing them (more grand if it's international).
AGPL is toxic to some corporations for mixing into their proprietary projects, but the commercial dual-license takes care of that. Most corporations don't mind spending money.
AGPL also gives a long-term sustainable pathway if the original vendor goes under or goes evil.