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Show HN: I'm building an open-source Amazon

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Re: Show HN: I'm building an open-source Amazon

#261

Post by iam-TJ »

tzs wrote: post #145
ryan29 wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> - Using a copyleft license like AGPL makes this an automatic non-starter for most businesses, no matter how impressive your tech might be. You'll have a lot more luck with mid-size and enterprise adoption with an MIT license. What makes the AGPL unattractive? I thought it was basically just the GPL with a limitation on using the software to provide a SaaS product. You don't even have to contribute unpublished chang…

> What makes the AGPL unattractive? I thought it was basically just the GPL with a limitation on using the software to provide a SaaS product. You don't even have to contribute unpublished changes, right? The things AGPL adds to GPL don't just affect people trying to do a SaaS offering of the program. If you modify it and users interact with it over a computer network you have to make source for your modified version…

The kind of arguments you raise here have always, to me, basically looked like:

"I want something for nothing"

Or in more detail:

"I want to take something you created and agreed to share with me (on the proviso I like-wise share any changes as an exchange of value). I deem your software valuable to me but I won't be paying you money for it. I'll add something else to it so it fits my use-case. But, I refuse/object to sharing my changes because they're valuable."

Re: Show HN: I'm building an open-source Amazon

#262

Post by lelanthran »

ItsTooMuch wrote: post #251
lelanthran wrote: post #183

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Constant hassle with payment processors deciding to ban smut once you get too big, though. Not doing something because you might get too big is not sound reasoning. When you get too big, that's the time to worry about it.

The payment processors will shut you down even for your first payment if it's for porn. More likely - you'll never get to a first payment anyways, they won't sign the contract.

> The payment processors will shut you down even for your first payment if it's for porn. More likely - you'll never get to a first payment anyways, they won't sign the contract.

If that was even occasionally true, the tons of paid porn sites wouldn't exist. The fact that they both exist and take popular cards tells me that that cannot possibly be true.

Re: Show HN: I'm building an open-source Amazon

#263

Post by ItsTooMuch »

lelanthran wrote: post #262
ItsTooMuch wrote: post #251

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The payment processors will shut you down even for your first payment if it's for porn. More likely - you'll never get to a first payment anyways, they won't sign the contract.

> The payment processors will shut you down even for your first payment if it's for porn. More likely - you'll never get to a first payment anyways, they won't sign the contract. If that was even occasionally true, the tons of paid porn sites wouldn't exist. The fact that they both exist and take popular cards tells me that that cannot possibly be true.

There are special payment processors catering to porn/etc, but the problem is that they require extremely large collateral and have other unusual requirements that are untenable to new businesses. Most probably they won't even talk to a startup (I tried, didn't get a reply). There's a reason why startups like OnlyFans used normal payment processors and tried to convince them they're not porn instead of beginning with these specialized ones.

Edit: BTW, a large portion of seemingly independent porn sites are actually run by only few companies. Especially the Xvideos corporation.

Re: Show HN: I'm building an open-source Amazon

#264

Post by jvanderbot »

Thorentis wrote: post #189
jannes wrote: post #155

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They previously submitted the same link with a different title and got... 3 upvotes. The Amazon comparison clearly helped to get on the HN front page. > Show HN: I'm building an open-source order management system and marketplace API https://news.ycombinator.com/from?site=openship.org

Just goes to show that for all of HN's hyper ad awareness, we still fall for basic click bait in our own territory.

I think we get excited by big ideas, and things that sound like big ideas. That makes us a great sounding board. On another forums it'd be 'i like amazon, down vote' or 'i don't need that, ignore'.

At least here, we move on perceived merit, however superficial

Re: Show HN: I'm building an open-source Amazon

#265

Post by klft »

Thorentis wrote: post #189
jannes wrote: post #155

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They previously submitted the same link with a different title and got... 3 upvotes. The Amazon comparison clearly helped to get on the HN front page. > Show HN: I'm building an open-source order management system and marketplace API https://news.ycombinator.com/from?site=openship.org

Just goes to show that for all of HN's hyper ad awareness, we still fall for basic click bait in our own territory.

"Show HN: I'm building an open-source Amazon in Rust" would be even better

Re: Show HN: I'm building an open-source Amazon

#266

Post by joshmanders »

dang wrote: post #200
joshmanders wrote: post #131

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I feel like I should bookmark this thread so I can come back in a few years when this dude is huge and say "Geez, I bet you wish you kept your yap shut" to all these people telling him to reel his ambitions in. I still smirk at the chucklehead who dismissed Drew Houston when he "Show HN: Dropbox"

Uh oh, dang pet peeve time (sorry) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29178442 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28293146 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24366316 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23229275 Short version, he was genuinely trying to be helpful and that thread has been taken out of context over the years.

I always welcome a dang pet peeve. Thanks for clarification and context. I appreciate you. <3

Re: Show HN: I'm building an open-source Amazon

#267

Post by jameshart »

yellowapple wrote: post #214
bloblaw wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Here's Google's stance on why they ban AGPL software: https://opensource.google/documentation/reference/using/agpl... > The primary risk presented by AGPL is that any product or service that depends on AGPL-licensed code, or includes anything copied or derived from AGPL-licensed code, may be subject to the virality of the AGPL license. > This viral effect requires that the complete corresponding source code of the pr…

> FWIW, every company I've ever worked at bans AGPL products / code. Is every company you've ever worked for a software vendor? Because those are the only companies that would be impacted at all by using AGPL products/code.

Any business that uses AGOL software needs to be able to provide the source code of that AGPL software to people who use their services

That is… just not something most online stores are interested in adding to their compliance burden.

And of course they will have changes. It’s a business software platform, the only way to accomplish some things is going to be through adding or modifying code.

Re: Show HN: I'm building an open-source Amazon

#268

Post by TotempaaltJ »

graderjs wrote: post #168
XCSme wrote: post #130

Earlier quoted context omitted.

https://bol.com in the Netherlands has delivery within a few hours (by bicycle) for some cities and select products. I got in this way an inflatable mattress (old one was punctured, so I needed one by the evening for my guests) and a few other electronic devices or household items.

Well the mattress would have to be inflatable to be delivered by bicycle

Delivery is done with cargo bikes

Re: Show HN: I'm building an open-source Amazon

#269

Post by forgotusername6 »

iam-TJ wrote: post #261
tzs wrote: post #145

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> What makes the AGPL unattractive? I thought it was basically just the GPL with a limitation on using the software to provide a SaaS product. You don't even have to contribute unpublished changes, right? The things AGPL adds to GPL don't just affect people trying to do a SaaS offering of the program. If you modify it and users interact with it over a computer network you have to make source for your modified version…

The kind of arguments you raise here have always, to me, basically looked like: "I want something for nothing" Or in more detail: "I want to take something you created and agreed to share with me (on the proviso I like-wise share any changes as an exchange of value). I deem your software valuable to me but I won't be paying you money for it. I'll add something else to it so it fits my use-case. But, I refuse/object t…

It's not just sharing the changes. You have to be really careful how you integrate/modify the source. If you aren't you could accidentally expose proprietary information within those modifications. It's that kind of headache that means it is just easier to avoid.

Re: Show HN: I'm building an open-source Amazon

#270

Post by ryukafalz »

noam_compsci wrote: post #260
nonameiguess wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In this case, there is nothing at all wrong with a GPL license. Everyone is answering from the perspective of a software company. That isn't who this product seems to be targeting. It's targeting businesses that sell physical goods and need a virtual storefront to do that. They aren't looking to fork this and repackage it as a different product. The purpose of it being open source at all is so they can more easily se…

This ignores the fact that AGPL has no strict definition of “forking/modifying”. So, adding text/marketing copy (see user comment on a restaurant app use case) can be seen as a modification.

For an app like this, that would typically be configuration in the database. (Think WordPress; are you writing your marketing copy in plugin source code or are you writing it using the page editing functionality?) The AGPL doesn’t require you to publish your database.
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