Find path forward with OSI

[chadwhitacre]

Sentry sees itself as an Open Source company, i.e., we self-identify as a full-fledged, bona fide participant in the Open Source community. Our use of a non-Open Source license, BUSL-1.1, undermines our credibility (e.g.). Yet the reasons that moved us to adopt BUSL-1.1 are genuine: we want to give back as much as possible to the community without taking on existential risk. We are not the only company with this desire and concern, so it seems like this tension is worth trying to resolve more widely in the community. The path to this end lies through partnership with the OSI, the community-recognized stewards of the Open Source brand.

[chadwhitacre]

I've subscribed to the license review mailing list and reached out for a call.

[chadwhitacre]

Yikes.

[chadwhitacre]

Historical discussion on license-review†:

BUSL

∅(!)

Business Source

These are tangential references in threads about other licenses:

• Kyle Mitchell, re: Zero Reciprocal Public License (2017)
• Bruce Perens, re: SSPL (2018)
• Bruce Perens, re: SSPLv2 (2019)

https://lists.opensource.org/pipermail/license-review_lists.opensource.org/2018-October/003780.html dupe

BSL

https://lists.opensource.org/pipermail/license-review_lists.opensource.org/2019-December/004571.html

Boost

https://lists.opensource.org/pipermail/license-review_lists.opensource.org/2008-January/000030.html
https://lists.opensource.org/pipermail/license-review_lists.opensource.org/2012-February/001483.html
https://lists.opensource.org/pipermail/license-review_lists.opensource.org/2018-November/003793.html
https://lists.opensource.org/pipermail/license-review_lists.opensource.org/2020-December/004998.html
https://lists.opensource.org/pipermail/license-review_lists.opensource.org/2020-December/004999.html
https://lists.opensource.org/pipermail/license-review_lists.opensource.org/2020-December/005000.html
https://lists.opensource.org/pipermail/license-review_lists.opensource.org/2020-December/005001.html
https://lists.opensource.org/pipermail/license-review_lists.opensource.org/2020-December/005002.html
https://lists.opensource.org/pipermail/license-review_lists.opensource.org/2020-December/005003.html
https://lists.opensource.org/pipermail/license-review_lists.opensource.org/2020-December/005004.html
https://lists.opensource.org/pipermail/license-review_lists.opensource.org/2020-December/005007.html
https://lists.opensource.org/pipermail/license-review_lists.opensource.org/2020-December/005008.html
https://lists.opensource.org/pipermail/license-review_lists.opensource.org/2020-December/005009.html
https://lists.opensource.org/pipermail/license-review_lists.opensource.org/2020-December/005010.html
https://lists.opensource.org/pipermail/license-review_lists.opensource.org/2020-December/005011.html
https://lists.opensource.org/pipermail/license-review_lists.opensource.org/2020-December/005014.html
https://lists.opensource.org/pipermail/license-review_lists.opensource.org/2020-December/005015.html
https://lists.opensource.org/pipermail/license-review_lists.opensource.org/2020-December/005034.html
https://lists.opensource.org/pipermail/license-review_lists.opensource.org/2020-December/005042.html
https://lists.opensource.org/pipermail/license-review_lists.opensource.org/2020-December/005043.html
https://lists.opensource.org/pipermail/license-review_lists.opensource.org/2020-December/005044.html
https://lists.opensource.org/pipermail/license-review_lists.opensource.org/2020-December/005045.html
https://lists.opensource.org/pipermail/license-review_lists.opensource.org/2020-December/005046.html
https://lists.opensource.org/pipermail/license-review_lists.opensource.org/2020-December/005047.html
https://lists.opensource.org/pipermail/license-review_lists.opensource.org/2020-December/005052.html
https://lists.opensource.org/pipermail/license-review_lists.opensource.org/2020-December/005053.html

Junk (Querystrings)

https://lists.opensource.org/pipermail/license-review_lists.opensource.org/2010-October/001064.html
https://lists.opensource.org/pipermail/license-review_lists.opensource.org/2010-October/001066.html
https://lists.opensource.org/pipermail/license-review_lists.opensource.org/2010-October/001095.html
https://lists.opensource.org/pipermail/license-review_lists.opensource.org/2016-June/002827.html

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† wget --mirror and ag -l "$term"|sed -e 's/^/https:\/\//'|sort|pbcopy

[chadwhitacre]

I think this issue needs a better title. Options:

• Find path forward with OSI
• Resolve tensions in business use of OSI licenses
• Legitimize time-based approach to licensing

[chadwhitacre]

From OSI contact:

We recently completed a review of all email archives of license-review and other mailing lists, before license-review existed. I don't see evidence that the BUSL license was ever submitted so it was never formally evaluated.

Interesting!

[chadwhitacre]

https://github.blog/2021-03-18-whats-up-with-these-new-not-open-source-licenses/

(h/t)

[chadwhitacre]

Research has started!

[chadwhitacre]

Big blog post up: Sentry's Open Source Values.

[chadwhitacre]

This ticket is fanning out into a separate repo, see getsentry/fsl.software#1.

[chadwhitacre]

Closing in favor of that. ☝️