What comes after Open Source?

Track: Other

Type: Long talk (45 minutes)

Room: Talks

Time: Aug 24 (Mon): 15:00

Duration: 0:45

You’re going to think I am nuts for saying this.

I think I have worked out what comes after Open Source.

It preserves the goals of Free Software and Open Source, preserves the reasons we succeeded, and deals with the ways in which we’ve failed. Which are:

We wanted to give people freedom, but we never won the hearts and minds of the common people, they still use proprietary software.

We created our own extractive industries, and both income and control went to those who exploited the developer, rather than the developers themselves.

We were never able to deal with the problem of software patents effectively. We have no good troll defense. OIN is at least as much for protecting the software patent system from Open-Source-driven reform as it is for protecting us from software patents.

We created a tower of babel of licenses. We did not design-in license compliance, and we have a tremendous noncompliance problem that isn’t getting better. We can’t afford to sue our copyright infringers.

We did not design a good framework for where proprietary software can go, and where it never should. Our license loopholes are exploited.

I think I have worked out the next step after Open Source, which addresses these things while preserving the good of Open Source and furthering the original goals of Free Software.

Listen, and see if you agree.

What comes after Open Source?

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