Chef becomes 100% free software

Posted Apr 2, 2019 14:54 UTC (Tue) by jebba (guest, #4439)
In reply to: Chef becomes 100% free software by pabs
Parent article: Chef becomes 100% free software

"We will make our distributions freely available for non-commercial use". So it sounds like more fake baitware, not free software.

Chef becomes 100% free software

Posted Apr 2, 2019 14:58 UTC (Tue) by corbet (editor, #1) [Link] (9 responses)

They are talking about their binary distributions. The source will be under the Apache license.

Chef becomes 100% free software

Posted Apr 2, 2019 15:03 UTC (Tue) by jebba (guest, #4439) [Link] (8 responses)

> They are talking about their binary distributions.

So if you get the binaries you're free to distribute them under a "100% free software" license as stated in the title? Or is it under another license?

Chef becomes 100% free software

Posted Apr 2, 2019 15:25 UTC (Tue) by corbet (editor, #1) [Link] (7 responses)

The binaries are under their own license, as the Apache license allows. It's an RHEL-like model.

Chef becomes 100% free software

Posted Apr 2, 2019 15:40 UTC (Tue) by jebba (guest, #4439) [Link] (3 responses)

If the binaries are under another license then they are not "open-sourcing of all of its software". They are open sourcing SOME of their software. Binaries are software too.

Chef becomes 100% free software

Posted Apr 2, 2019 16:31 UTC (Tue) by Wol (subscriber, #4433) [Link] (1 responses)

Nit. Welcome to Pick.

Given the mathematical equivalence, if the source is under Apache, then it's open source. Who cares if the binaries CAN be distributed under another licence.

Certainly, if I wrote any Open Source now, I would include a clause that permits binary-only distribution provided it is built - un-modified - from a source tree maintained by a third party.

Keeping track of source is a pain in the neck. Why not out-source that job to upstream? My clause would simply enforce a requirement to share as part of being allowed to distribute binaries.

Cheers,
Wol

Chef becomes 100% free software

Posted Apr 2, 2019 19:11 UTC (Tue) by jebba (guest, #4439) [Link]

I guess I just see a headline saying "100% free software", then when I go check it out and there are non-commercial restrictions its disheartening. It seems so often there is some catch. Debian is free software, for example. Chef is doing a blend of free and proprietary.

Chef becomes 100% free software

Posted Apr 3, 2019 13:12 UTC (Wed) by jond (subscriber, #37669) [Link]

Open Source is, as the name implies, about the *source*.

Chef becomes 100% free software

Posted Apr 3, 2019 14:48 UTC (Wed) by rfontana (subscriber, #52677) [Link] (2 responses)

That's not really a RHEL-like model (although certainly at a high level it looks like Chef is moving from open core to a more Red Hat-like model). As with other Red Hat products, RHEL binaries are (with extremely rare package-specific exceptions) distributed under open source/free software licenses. In the Red Hat model, (open source) licensing of binaries is decoupled from the subscription agreement which broadly speaking governs services and does not impose license restrictions on the software.

Chef becomes 100% free software

Posted Apr 4, 2019 11:36 UTC (Thu) by kiko (subscriber, #69905) [Link] (1 responses)

Can you redistribute RHEL binaries, and are they available for download from anyone or anywhere?

Chef becomes 100% free software

Posted Apr 4, 2019 16:45 UTC (Thu) by kpfleming (subscriber, #23250) [Link]

It is absolutely legal (within the bounds of the relevant copyright licenses) to distribute RHEL binaries.

Doing so may have a negative effect on your ability to obtain support service from Red Hat, though.