commit a13a0742ed4a64f0e1a4051e35ec6b7eca0c1c5f
parent 38cfaefcde92f605b25c6070f70bd07697e70a8b
Author: Chris Bracken <chris@bracken.jp>
Date: Wed, 22 Jun 2022 09:46:49 -0700
Minor wording tweak, reformat to 80 columns
Diffstat:
1 file changed, 56 insertions(+), 62 deletions(-)
diff --git a/content/post/2020-05-22-thoughts-on-licences.md b/content/post/2020-05-22-thoughts-on-licences.md
@@ -5,45 +5,42 @@ slug = "thoughts-on-licences"
tags = ["Meta", "Software"]
+++
-I don't pretend to think that the things I create have a whole ton of
-value, but I do think it's important to carefully consider the terms
-under which they're shared to ensure they're consistent with my values.
-Despite my general dislike for all things legalistic, the most
-unambiguous way to state those terms is through a licence. So a couple
-days ago, I tossed LICENSE files into any of my public [repos](/code)
-that didn't already have one.
+Software licences are probably the single most boring aspect of software
+development, but it's important to carefully consider the terms under which the
+stuff I hack on is shared to ensure they're consistent with my values. Despite
+my general dislike for all things legalistic, the most unambiguous way to state
+those terms is through a licence. So a couple days ago, I tossed LICENSE files
+into any of my public [repos](/code) that didn't already have one.
-So how did I settle on which licences to apply? Jump on into the
-DeLorean and let's set the dial back to the late 1980s.
+So how did I settle on which licences to apply? Jump on into the DeLorean and
+let's set the dial back to the late 1980s.
-It's 1986 and I've got a 1200 baud modem wired up to a beat-up 286 with
-a steel case that would easily allow it to double as a boat anchor if
-needed. Armed with a dot-matrix printout of local BBSes with names like
-Camelot, Tommy's Holiday Camp, and Forbidden Night Castle, I fire up
-PC-Talk. A series of [high-pitched squeals and tones][modem_handshake]
-fill the air, then text flashes across the screen. I'm online.
+It's 1986 and I've got a 1200 baud modem wired up to a beat-up 286 with a steel
+case that would easily allow it to double as a boat anchor if needed. Armed
+with a dot-matrix printout of local BBSes with names like Camelot, Tommy's
+Holiday Camp, and Forbidden Night Castle, I fire up PC-Talk. A series of
+[high-pitched squeals and tones][modem_handshake] fill the air, then text
+flashes across the screen. I'm online.
-BBSes were a treasure trove of information, filled to the brim with zip
-archives full of downloadable programs, source code, patches for
-existing programs, and all manner of text files with names like
-[Smashing The Stack For Fun And Profit][smash_stack]. You could find
-everything from how to crack copy-protected software, to details on
-phone phreaking, to how to make nitroglycerine from commonly-available
-household items. It was through BBSes that I first downloaded an I'm
-sure _totally legitimate_ copy of Borland Turbo C++ and took my first
+BBSes were a treasure trove of information, filled to the brim with zip archives
+full of downloadable programs, source code, patches for existing programs, and
+all manner of text files with names like [Smashing The Stack For Fun And
+Profit][smash_stack]. You could find everything from how to crack copy-protected
+software, to details on phone phreaking, to how to make nitroglycerine from
+commonly-available household items. It was through BBSes that I first downloaded
+an I'm sure _totally legitimate_ copy of Borland Turbo C++ and took my first
baby steps writing _real_ programs. No more BASIC for me.
-This culture of open sharing in the online world has had a huge impact
-on me. From those early experiences with BBSes to my first forays onto
-the Internet a few years later, seeing people openly sharing code and
-patches and helping each other solve problems over Usenet seemed almost
-revolutionary to me at the time. In some ways, it still does. I feel
-lucky to have been a part of it from such an early age.
+This culture of open sharing in the online world has had a huge impact on me.
+From those early experiences with BBSes to my first forays onto the Internet a
+few years later, seeing people openly sharing code and patches and helping each
+other solve problems over Usenet seemed almost revolutionary to me at the time.
+In some ways, it still does. I feel lucky to have been a part of it from such an
+early age.
-The end result is that I try to publicly share all the work I do. So
-when it came time to chuck licences on stuff, I sat down to work out a
-personals ad for my ideal licence. Aside from enjoying long walks on the
-beach, it should:
+The end result is that I try to publicly share all the work I do. So when it
+came time to chuck licences on stuff, I sat down to work out a personals ad for
+my ideal licence. Aside from enjoying long walks on the beach, it should:
1. Allow free use, modification, and distribution both of the original
work and any derived works.
@@ -55,39 +52,36 @@ beach, it should:
information and techniques.
5. Be short, clear, and easy to understand.
-On the software side, there were lots of options, but the best matches
-in my mind are the [MIT][mit_licence] or [BSD][bsd_licence] licences.
-The 3-clause 'new' BSD licence has an advantage in that it required
-written permission from the author to use their name in any
-endorsement/promotion of a derived work. That happens to be what we
-already use for [work][flutter].
+On the software side, there were lots of options, but the best matches in my
+mind are the [MIT][mit_licence] or [BSD][bsd_licence] licences. The 3-clause
+'new' BSD licence has an advantage in that it required written permission from
+the author to use their name in any endorsement/promotion of a derived work.
+That happens to be what we already use for [work][flutter].
-On the content side, I've always posted my web site's content under a
-[Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike][cc_by_sa] licence. But I don't
-believe that's actually the ideal match based on my priorities. Why is
-it that I've elected to use a licence that requires that derived works
-also be licensed under the same terms rather than under whatever terms
-someone feels like, so long as credit is given? In the end I settled on
-the more permissive [Creative Commons Attribution][cc_by] licence.
+On the content side, I've always posted my web site's content under a [Creative
+Commons Attribution-ShareAlike][cc_by_sa] licence. But I don't believe that's
+actually the ideal match based on my priorities. Why is it that I've elected to
+use a licence that requires that derived works also be licensed under the same
+terms rather than under whatever terms someone feels like, so long as credit is
+given? In the end I settled on the more permissive [Creative Commons
+Attribution][cc_by] licence.
-This feels to me a bit like the difference between [BSD][bsd_licence]
-and [GPL][gpl_licence] terms, where the latter requires that derived
-works also be GPL-licensed. This "viral" nature has always rubbed me the
-wrong way: rather than gently promoting a culture of sharing by example,
-it legally _requires_ sharing under the same terms whether or not you
-want to.
+This feels to me a bit like the difference between [BSD][bsd_licence] and
+[GPL][gpl_licence] terms, where the latter requires that derived works also be
+GPL-licensed. This "viral" nature has always rubbed me the wrong way: rather
+than gently promoting a culture of sharing by example, it legally _requires_
+sharing under the same terms whether or not you want to.
-Personally, I'd like for people to do the right thing and share their
-work for everyone's benefit not because they _have_ to, but because they
-_want_ to. If they don't want to, why should my reaction be to disallow
-their use of my work? Isn't that contrary to my stated goals of sharing
-as much and as broadly as possible?
+Personally, I'd like for people to do the right thing and share their work for
+everyone's benefit not because they _have_ to, but because they _want_ to. If
+they don't want to, why should my reaction be to disallow their use of my work?
+Isn't that contrary to my stated goals of sharing as much and as broadly as
+possible?
-While I _hope_ that more people share more of their work, it doesn't
-bother me if you don't. If anything I've written is somehow useful to
-you, I'm glad. Use your knowledge to help others and make the world a
-better place, and if you can find time to do so, share a bit with the
-rest of us.
+While I _hope_ that more people share more of their work, it doesn't bother me
+if you don't. If anything I've written is somehow useful to you, I'm glad. Use
+your knowledge to help others and make the world a better place, and if you can
+find time to do so, share a bit with the rest of us.
Got thoughts and opinions on licences? Fire an email my way at
[chris@bracken.jp][email].
