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by nezirus 1040 days ago
Dunno about others, but I always ask myself where these companies would be if their software was under non free license from the start.

This is hostile to end users, small people an companies, not just big megacorps wanting the "steal" the code and run it as a service. Be successful in running and using Hashicorp's software, and they decide to shut you down if you are deemed a competitor.

3 comments

Also, "What if their dependencies adopted the same attitude?"

Like https://github.com/hashicorp/vault/blob/main/go.mod#L25

Maybe we'll see the whole team at [Axiom](https://github.com/hashicorp/vault/blob/0b12cdcfd17278d7cca2...) riding around in Maseratis.
> where these companies would be if their software was under non free license from the start.

Yep open source is used as a marketing. I doubt they'd gain much adoption if it started with BSL at first place.

> I doubt they'd gain much adoption if it started with BSL at first place

Adoption is one risk, https://github.com/hashicorp/terraform/graphs/contributors is an entirely different risk

Sentry, another BUSL licensed project, seems fine? https://github.com/getsentry/sentry/graphs/contributors
Given their exactly similar rug-pull stunt, in the context of what I was saying one would need to be able to load that link with date range restrictions showing before and after the rug pull, and (of course) exclude Sentry employees in order to show community contributions

I don't have the emotional energy to dig up such a report, but I'd be stunned if Sentry receives the same outside contribution rate as it did before

You can scroll through that contributor list and see that each graph clearly shows most new contributors were post-2019...
From what I know about BSL, nothing changes for me, except some notion what "true open source spirit" is and what not.
Everything changes.

At any moment for any reason they can declare that you your use or your business in some way competes with them and cut you off.

You have no recourse. They don't need to explain it. They can even add a product remotely like what you're building or misunderstand your product and you are screwed.

The BSL carries with it immense legal risk.

Depends on the conditions of the BSL and whether your legal department is OK with them.