Click here to Skip to main content
15,888,351 members

Survey Results

What's important to you when considering the license of open source code?

Survey period: 24 Jan 2022 to 31 Jan 2022

The "use it for free" statement has many, many subtle shades. Not the least in the term "free". What's most important to you?

OptionVotes% 
The ability to make changes to the code without having to publish my changes21234.98
Unrestricted access to the source code24740.76
Granting of explicit rights (usage, patent etc)13121.62
Clarity on what happens if use of the code results in damages457.43
No restrictions on use (even against using the code for illegal purposes)12220.13
Ability to redistribute the code in any form I choose21134.82
The ability to link the code with other code that may have a different license19932.84
I generally don't pay much attention to licenses. If I can view it, I use it.17328.55
Respondents were allowed to choose more than one answer; totals may not add up to 100%



 
GeneralWhy isn't there an option "for commercial use"? Pin
Kate-X25726-Jan-22 0:20
Kate-X25726-Jan-22 0:20 
I have done many projects in the last decade, and all are built on top of X11/MIT licensed code.
The main requirement I look for, is if I can ship it with a commercial product.
Nothing is forcing me to ship it in it's original form, only changes to the code need to be shared, not obfuscation techniques, packaging, or security additions.

Sharing code updates is typically something with almost no overhead at all.
You fork, you update, you create a PR with comments explaining the fix and the requirement is done.
Doing it any other way guarantees you will deviate from the upstream source, or end up with stale and unmaintained code, so it's not cost effective.

Some developers like to reinvent the wheel and skew open source projects, because they don't realize free project maintenance is cost effective. That's the only free part about open source you should be bothered with, imo.
GeneralRe: Why isn't there an option "for commercial use"? Pin
Dan Neely26-Jan-22 3:20
Dan Neely26-Jan-22 3:20 
GeneralRe: Why isn't there an option "for commercial use"? Pin
Kate-X25722-Feb-22 22:15
Kate-X25722-Feb-22 22:15 
GeneralDo answers on Codeproject and Stackoverflow count? Pin
Jacquers25-Jan-22 5:18
Jacquers25-Jan-22 5:18 
GeneralJust a little note about the survey wording Pin
ElectronProgrammer25-Jan-22 4:44
ElectronProgrammer25-Jan-22 4:44 
GeneralOpen source coder angst worries me Pin
Cpichols25-Jan-22 2:14
Cpichols25-Jan-22 2:14 
GeneralI don't re-invent the wheel, but... PinPopular
Sander Rossel24-Jan-22 23:09
professionalSander Rossel24-Jan-22 23:09 
GeneralMissing option PinPopular
PIEBALDconsult24-Jan-22 2:49
mvePIEBALDconsult24-Jan-22 2:49 
GeneralRe: Missing option Pin
Jacquers24-Jan-22 20:35
Jacquers24-Jan-22 20:35 
GeneralRe: Missing option Pin
JP Reyes25-Jan-22 4:44
JP Reyes25-Jan-22 4:44 
GeneralRe: Missing option Pin
Jacquers25-Jan-22 5:15
Jacquers25-Jan-22 5:15 
GeneralRe: Missing option Pin
MKJCP25-Jan-22 2:57
MKJCP25-Jan-22 2:57 
GeneralRe: Missing option Pin
Matt Bond25-Jan-22 4:56
Matt Bond25-Jan-22 4:56 
GeneralRe: Missing option Pin
jsrjsr25-Jan-22 12:35
professionaljsrjsr25-Jan-22 12:35 
GeneralRe: Missing option Pin
Nemanja Trifunovic26-Jan-22 2:21
Nemanja Trifunovic26-Jan-22 2:21 

General General    News News    Suggestion Suggestion    Question Question    Bug Bug    Answer Answer    Joke Joke    Praise Praise    Rant Rant    Admin Admin   

Use Ctrl+Left/Right to switch messages, Ctrl+Up/Down to switch threads, Ctrl+Shift+Left/Right to switch pages.