{"id":652774,"date":"2025-02-08T18:10:19","date_gmt":"2025-02-08T15:10:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/why-the-spirit-of-open-source-means-much-more-than-a-license\/"},"modified":"2025-02-08T18:10:19","modified_gmt":"2025-02-08T15:10:19","slug":"why-the-spirit-of-open-source-means-much-more-than-a-license","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/why-the-spirit-of-open-source-means-much-more-than-a-license\/","title":{"rendered":"#Why the &#8216;spirit&#8217; of open source means much more than a license"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3bf6c5d069b\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3bf6c5d069b\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/why-the-spirit-of-open-source-means-much-more-than-a-license\/#The_AI_factor\" >The AI factor<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/why-the-spirit-of-open-source-means-much-more-than-a-license\/#Clear_parameters\" >Clear parameters<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<div>\n<p id=\"speakable-summary\" class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Arguments about what is and isn\u2019t \u201copen source\u201d are often resolved by deferring to the Open Source Initiative (<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/opensource.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">OSI<\/a>): If a piece of software is available under a license rubber stamped as \u201copen source\u201d by the OSI\u2019s formal \u201c<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/opensource.org\/osd\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">definition<\/a>,\u201d then that software is open source.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But waters muddy when you get into the nuts and bolts of legal definitions versus the \u201cspirit\u201d of what open source really means. Indeed, there is significant nuance in the open source versus proprietary software debate: Has an \u201copen source company\u201d hamstrung its project by sliding core features behind a commercial paywall? How much transparency is there around the project\u2019s development? And how much direct input does the \u201ccommunity\u201d really have in a given project?<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To many, open source is not just about the legal ability to use and modify code; the culture, transparency, and governance around it is paramount.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Everyone knows about the Google-flavored version of Android that ships on smartphones and tablets, replete with an array of <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>s and services. The underlying Android Open Source Project (<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/source.android.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">AOSP<\/a>), released under a permissive Apache 2.0-license, is available for anyone to access, \u201cfork,\u201d and modify for their own hardware projects.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Android, by just about any definition, is about as open source as it gets. And Google has used this fact in its defense against anti-competition criticism, noting that Amazon has reappropriated Android for its own lineup of Fire-branded devices. But all this ignores separate \u201c<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theverge.com\/2021\/9\/14\/22673202\/google-south-korea-android-fork-fine-anti-fragmentation-agreement-antitrust\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">anti-fragmentation agreements<\/a>\u201d Google signed with hardware makers that restrict them from using <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/venturebeat.com\/mobile\/eus-antitrust-chief-details-googles-android-abuses-including-killing-amazons-fire-os\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">forked versions of Android<\/a>. And unlike something like Kubernetes that sits under an independent foundation with a diverse range of corporate and community contributors, Android sits under the direct control of Google without a great deal of transparency over roadmap or community input.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAndroid, in a license sense, is perhaps the most well-documented, perfectly open \u2018thing\u2019 that there is,\u201d <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/luisv\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Luis Villa<\/a>, co-founder and <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/general\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"3\" title=\"General\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">general<\/a> counsel at Tidelift, said in a panel discussion at the <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/openuk.uk\/soocon\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">State of Open Con25<\/a> in London this week. \u201cAll the licenses are exactly as you want them \u2014 but good luck getting a patch into that, and good luck figuring out when the next release even is.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This gets to the crux of the debate: Open source can be something of an illusion. A lack of real independence can mean a lack of agency for those who would like to properly get involved in a project. It can also raise questions about a project\u2019s long-term viability, evidenced by the countless open source companies that have switched licenses to protect their commercial interests.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIf you think about the practical accessibility of open source, it goes beyond the license, right?\u201d <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/peterzaitsev\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Peter Zaitsev<\/a>, founder of open source database services company Percona, said in the panel discussion. \u201cGovernance is very important, because if it\u2019s a single corporation, they can change a license like \u2018that.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These sentiments were echoed in a separate talk by <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/horovits\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">D<\/a><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/horovits\/\">otan Horovits<\/a>, open source evangelist at the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF), where he mused about open source \u201cturning to the dark side.\u201d He noted that in most cases, issues arise when a single-vendor project decides to make changes based on its own business needs among other pressures. \u201cWhich begs the question, <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/horovits.medium.com\/is-vendor-owned-open-source-an-oxymoron-b5486a4de1c6\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">is vendor-owned open source an oxymoron<\/a>?\u201d Horovits said. \u201cI\u2019ve been asking this question for a good few years, and in 2025 this question is more relevant than ever.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-ai-factor\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_AI_factor\"><\/span>The AI factor<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These debates won\u2019t be going anywhere anytime soon, as open source has emerged as a major focal point in the AI realm.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">China\u2019s DeepSeek arrived with a bang off the back of open source hype, and while the models\u2019 MIT licenses are very much recognized as open source, there remains black holes around training data among other components. Which is why researchers at Hugging Face are trying to create an even \u201cmore open\u201d version of DeepSeek\u2019s reasoning model.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meta, meanwhile, has long tooted its open source horn with regards to its Llama-branded large language models (LLMs), even though Llama <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/opensource.org\/blog\/metas-llama-2-license-is-not-open-source\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">isn\u2019t open source<\/a> by most estimations \u2014 the models, while perhaps more \u201copen\u201d than others, have commercial restrictions.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI have my quibbles and concerns about the open source AI definition, but it\u2019s really clear that what Llama is doing isn\u2019t open source,\u201d Villa said. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/emilyomier\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Emily Omie<\/a><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/emilyomier\/\">r<\/a>, a consultant for open source businesses and host of the <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.emilyomier.com\/podcast\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Business of Open Source podcast<\/a>, added that such attempts to \u201ccorrupt\u201d the meaning behind \u201copen source\u201d is testament to its inherent power.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt goes to show how strong the brand of open source is \u2014 the fact that people are trying to corrupt it, means that people care,\u201d Omier said during the panel discussion.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Much of this may be for regulatory reasons, however. The EU AI Act\u00a0has a special carve-out for \u201cfree and open source\u201d AI systems (aside from those deemed to pose an \u201cunacceptable risk\u201d). And Villa says this goes some way toward explaining why a company might want to rewrite the rulebook on what \u201copen source\u201d actually means.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThere are plenty of actors right now who, because of the brand equity [of open source] and the regulatory implications, want to change the definition, and that\u2019s terrible,\u201d Villa said.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-clear-parameters\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Clear_parameters\"><\/span>Clear parameters<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While there are clear arguments for applying additional criteria that incorporates the \u201cspirit\u201d of what open source is intended to be all about, having clear parameters \u2014 as defined by a license \u2014 keeps things simple and less subject to nuanced subjectivity.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">How much community engagement would be necessary for something to be truly \u201copen source\u201d? On a practical and legal level, keeping the definition limited to the license makes sense.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/maffulli\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Stefano Maffulli<\/a>, executive director at the OSI, said that while some organizations and foundations do lean into ideas around \u201copen design, community, and development,\u201d these are all fundamentally philosophical concepts.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe point of having definitions is to have criteria that can be scored, and focusing on licensing is how that is accomplished,\u201d Maffulli said in a statement issued to TechCrunch. \u201cThe global community and industry have come to rely on the Open Source Definition and now the Open Source AI Definition as objective measures that they can rely on.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMN63nwsw68G3Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/category\/technology\/\" target=\"_blank\" >Technology<\/a><\/span> category.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2025\/02\/08\/why-the-spirit-of-open-source-means-much-more-than-a-license\/\" target=\"_blank\" >Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Arguments about what is and isn\u2019t \u201copen source\u201d are often resolved by deferring to the Open Source Initiative (OSI): If a piece of software is available under a license rubber stamped as \u201copen source\u201d by the OSI\u2019s formal \u201cdefinition,\u201d then that software is open source. But waters muddy when you get into the nuts and&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":652775,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/GettyImages-681983934-e1738934393419.jpg?resize=1200,813","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[77337,75885,83071,39382,152112,154242,154243],"class_list":["post-652774","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology","tag-ai","tag-enterprise","tag-open-source","tag-android","tag-llama","tag-openuk","tag-state-of-open-con"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/652774","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=652774"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/652774\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/652775"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=652774"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=652774"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=652774"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}