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Ask HN: Is it ethical to create an open source clone of proprietary software?
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Re: Ask HN: Is it ethical to create an open source clone of proprietary software?
#2Yes. Commercial competitors are inspired by each others work all the time. That the clone is FOSS doesn't really matter.
Re: Ask HN: Is it ethical to create an open source clone of proprietary software?
#3Yes. Competition is how we get better, cheaper things.
Also, "cloning" is a poor word for such activity. Writing code is hard and time consuming even if you're merely replicating functionality of an existing product. To me "cloning" implies that it somehow cheap or easy and it just isn't.
Re: Ask HN: Is it ethical to create an open source clone of proprietary software?
#4Yes. Competition is how we get better, cheaper things. Also, "cloning" is a poor word for such activity. Writing code is hard and time consuming even if you're merely replicating functionality of an existing product. To me "cloning" implies that it somehow cheap or easy and it just isn't.
Thanks! I never thought of it that way.
Re: Ask HN: Is it ethical to create an open source clone of proprietary software?
#5let's make it interesting. also, is it ethical to create a proprietary clone of an open source project?
Re: Ask HN: Is it ethical to create an open source clone of proprietary software?
#6let's make it interesting. also, is it ethical to create a proprietary clone of an open source project?
It depends of the license.
Re: Ask HN: Is it ethical to create an open source clone of proprietary software?
#7let's make it interesting. also, is it ethical to create a proprietary clone of an open source project?
Sure, as long as you are not utilizing any of the code from the open source project.
Crossing the line is using other people's work and calling it your own, regardless of open/closed source.
Re: Ask HN: Is it ethical to create an open source clone of proprietary software?
#8let's make it interesting. also, is it ethical to create a proprietary clone of an open source project?
Sure, as long as you are not utilizing any of the code from the open source project. Crossing the line is using other people's work and calling it your own, regardless of open/closed source.
What if you're creating a proprietary version of yacc, and you're using yacc to parse domain specific language for your clone?
I think that's fair enough?
Re: Ask HN: Is it ethical to create an open source clone of proprietary software?
#9Yes. Competition is how we get better, cheaper things. Also, "cloning" is a poor word for such activity. Writing code is hard and time consuming even if you're merely replicating functionality of an existing product. To me "cloning" implies that it somehow cheap or easy and it just isn't.
Actually, "cloning" doesn't sound easy at all. :)
Re: Ask HN: Is it ethical to create an open source clone of proprietary software?
#10Earlier quoted context omitted.
Sure, as long as you are not utilizing any of the code from the open source project. Crossing the line is using other people's work and calling it your own, regardless of open/closed source.
What if you're creating a proprietary version of yacc, and you're using yacc to parse domain specific language for your clone? I think that's fair enough?
I'd agree in that case, mostly because the code does not have a restrictive license. Also, to me if you disclose that you are using yacc then you are being totally up front and have side stepped any issues. But in the case of like byacc the license specifically states you can use it in commercial or public code without restriction, so it is fair to use in my opinion.
Me personally, even in like this case where it isn't required or requested, I'd likely attribute the author or repository in my license file, credits or readme.