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by KajMagnus 589 days ago
That's not what these licenses have come to mean. They're a way to reduce the risk that you'll get sued,

but not any "I don't give a fuck" statement.

You could add "I don't care about fixing security vulnerabilities" somewhere in the beginning of the readme, if you're developing security related OSS software? That'd be more clear.

Maybe the WTFPL actually a little bit indicates that the developers maybe don't give a fuck, though: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WTFPL ?
2 comments
kube-system 589 days ago
That sounds a little like having your cake and eating it too. 'Giving a fuck' is not really a boolean value but more of a broad spectrum.

Of course, anyone who writes any software cared a little bit about it at one point, or they wouldn't have written it. But warranty is about whether they care enough to cater specifically to you when you have a problem in the future.

Maybe many of these projects do care enough to give general updates to the community as a whole on a best effort basis, but that's a lower level of assurance and more voluntary than what you'd get in a legal warranty.

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hifromwork 589 days ago
>You could add "I don't care about fixing security vulnerabilities" somewhere in the beginning of the readme

I care about fixing security vulnerabilities in my OS projects, but I care more about my sanity, my family, getting enough money to survive, and a few other things. Unless you pay me I don't care about your problems with my free (as in a beer) software.

And that's a good thing btw - I tried to ask for donations once, got the equivalent of a few cups of coffee per month, and... burned out almost immediately. I started to feel responsible for that project, staying up late to fix reported minor bugs, and it turns out watching Github issues 365 days a year for a few dollars monthly is not a great business strategy.

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ziddoap 589 days ago
This is not a one-person project ran by someone in their spare time, posted online for fun.

They are going out of their way to advertise so that people use their security-critical software in security-critical applications, and then they neglect the security.

While they aren't under any legal obligation, it's (in my worldview at least) pretty damn unethical.

All they would have to do to not be unethical is make it clear that this software should not be used in any security-critical application because it is not properly/frequently maintained. Put that in a header on the website.

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