Confusion over the license of this API

[davebeach]

I got my company to start using your product. I like it, and it covers 80% of what we need (more than other products). But there is the 20% which we can handle with this API. However, unlike most projects today, this API is not an open source project, nor does it have a valid license. Thus as a company, we cannot legally just use this.

I would suggest assigning an open source license to the API. That does not mean that your app is open source, just the API is. That way you will get the community buying into your product. Generally, developers stay away from stuff that does not have a clear legal license attached.

You can restrict folks from using it commercially by using a copy left license on the API. This accomplishes the same thing that you are trying to achieve. For example if you go and look at the software product called workfront. Their app is proprietary, but their api hooks are open source. See github project workfront-api/LICENSE. The license is APACHE 2. To achieve the copy left, meaning someone cannot take your open source API, and use it in anything commercial, use a GNU license.

This way, it makes your software app much more attractive. It isn't when I cannot legally take your API and add functionality to connect to other stuff. FYI - if you make it open source you win, when people like me do something like that, as you can add that as an offering without having to do the development.

Anyway I come from the proprietary world, and now recently into the open source thing. And it is really misunderstood how to make it work. It can be a cash flow positive thing, if done right. It isn't just free software.

[davebeach]

I am also confused, as the main product has this license GNU Lesser General Public License, version 2.1. overall it is not good for you guys to have holes in the licenses. and for me to build upon the api, and get my company over to enterprise version etc. I am going to get shut down due to the liability for the license confusion. Your product is good, there hasn't been much activity in recent years. It would really benefit for you to open source the API project, and locking down the main product with a clear license. That way you can expand on the products connections to other things. iE I need to have a better connection with Github, but considerations for the entire CI suite of products (jenkins, nexus, gerrit etc).

[sschoener]

Could you please give us an update on this? Licensing is quite important...