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by zeeg 5017 days ago
Why should anyone create software just so you can have it for free? You're not entitled to open source software, or the goodwill of others. If they decided that they didn't want to continue running their product, they can choose to shut it down.

This is exactly the same as Sparrow, TextMate, etc. None of these companies owe you anything to where they should be required, or even expected, to open source their work.
1 comments
heretohelp 5017 days ago
I don't demand anything of them, but they won't create a dependency where I previously had none and expect to be rewarded with money for it.

I am making founders aware of this attitude so that they can

1. Realize that there's a problem

2. Distinguish themselves among their competitors by addressing this concern

I'm not aiming to prescribe solutions, just describing the heuristics I presently rely on to determine if a service is likely to become a liability. I always do a fluid cost-benefit analysis beyond the black-and-white I described in my top comment.

That you believed what I said had anything to do with "demanding" free labor of anyone is telling and indicates a defensive posture on the subject.

Not a surprising reaction to have, given that Sentry (your errors-as-a-service project) depends on people trusting you not to just shut it down tomorrow.

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zeeg 5017 days ago
Sentry is also open source, but for very different reasons than what you describe. I treat it like part of the business value, but that also means that many people can simply run their own, which means potential value lost (I wouldnt argue that there is value lost, but its not something that can be ignored).
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heretohelp 5017 days ago
>Sentry is also open source, but for very different reasons than what you describe. I treat it like part of the business value, but that also means that many people can simply run their own

Then there's no issue in the hypothetical scenario I laid out.

I'm a Sentry user (of the hosted service) because it's open sourced. I wouldn't have given you a seconds notice otherwise and I doubt I'm alone in that.

Why be so defensive when you're clearly not in a position to be guilty of leaving all your customers up the creek?

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