Questions about software for which the original source code is made freely available and may be redistributed and modified.
0
votes
2answers
170 views
Which Open Source License is right for my project?
I'm developing a suite of software tools that I need help with which is why I want to release my software open-source. People should be able to use and modify my code as they please while contributing ...
0
votes
2answers
319 views
Where to find the source code for the Linux command line functions [closed]
I would like to study the source code of the standard command line functions in Linux such as ls, echo, cat, etc. But I have been unable to find the source code (a Google search was useless).
Does ...
2
votes
2answers
153 views
Is there a license for selling a software with the sources so buyer can make modifications without claiming ownership of the code or distributing it?
I would like to sell a software that has some open source competitors. Therefore I would like to include the source code with the binaries so that the company buying it can modify it as it wishes. The ...
3
votes
3answers
260 views
Can my GitHub and SourceForge account share the same repository?
I like that SourceForge can also let people browse your code using Git. But, before I even set up the project on SourceForge, I had a GitHub repository for it. Now that I have created my SourceForge ...
-1
votes
2answers
373 views
If I own an open source project why would I not host it on Github? [closed]
I've noticed that one rather well-known open source project (which I won't name so that noone focuses too much on that specific project) offers sources for download as a .zip via FTP instead of having ...
2
votes
4answers
231 views
Is it fair to require copyright assignments from contributors of an OS project?
As a follow up to Does a BSD-licensed project need a signed statement from each contributor?:
There are several reasons why an open source project might want to get copyright assignments from its ...
9
votes
3answers
234 views
How can I avoid using my own name in the identifiers, packages, or namespaces of open sources projects I create?
I do a lot of development in my own time. These projects I work on are all just for fun and learning (so far). I commonly do Java development with Maven but I have also been known to dabble in .NET ...
8
votes
2answers
185 views
Does a BSD-licensed project need a signed statement from each contributor?
Today I read on Fossil SCM's mailing list:
The problem with BSD is that you really should get a signed form from each
contributor stating that their contribution is BSD. This is automatic with
...
5
votes
1answer
200 views
Copyright notice in CSS or XML files
I'm currently working on an open-source project. Currently, we put our copyright notice at the top of every Java source file.
I was wondering whether it was advisable or common practice to put ...
-1
votes
2answers
116 views
How do I capture a bunch of web pages or pdfs found online and store them in a database on my machine? [closed]
I am doing a research project and I need to create a database (initially just on a local machine), of a bunch of web pages and pdfs, probably thousands of them but not likely to be e.g. 100,000, of ...
4
votes
2answers
239 views
Copying (forking) an open source project to your own repository
I'm currently using an open source project called CodeFirstMembership for one of my projects. There's a critical issue that I need to get past, and the more I use it, the more I find things I need to ...
3
votes
1answer
408 views
Can an entire software infrastructure stack be built entirely from source in-house? Is it practical and sustainable?
I'm a big fan of using open source software but I mostly use community binary releases for the job.
I'm wondering about companies that go the extra degree and build everything they use in their ...
1
vote
1answer
122 views
Finding developers for collaboration in enterprise open-source project
I am a founder and only developer of an open-source software designed for a small subset of enterprises. It was originally developed for and now runs at one of businesses of the type it was designed ...
3
votes
1answer
153 views
Open sourcing an internal project that has confidential information in the old revisions. [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
How to open-source a project whose git repository has copyrighted media in the history?
Our company has spent a year working on an internal web application and has ...
12
votes
5answers
745 views
I released open source code that is useable to other programmers. How do I let them know about it?
I have a tiny project (<1k but let's say its <5k of lines). I made it open source and put it on github.
I did this once before and I didn't get a single download nor fork but that was very ...
4
votes
3answers
150 views
How are OSS licenses upheld on unbacked projects?
If an OSS project is not backed (for example, by the Apache Foundation), how is the OSS license upheld?
My specific scenario is this: if I create an GPLd mobile application with a non-commercial ...
7
votes
2answers
422 views
Am I allowed to create closed-source software with open-source code?
I was using a popular music package (Ableton Live) when I opened the legal section of the helpfile and saw that the program contained code licenses that appeared to be both free as in freedom and free ...
0
votes
2answers
101 views
How to document a dual open source license?
If a project is dual-licensed GPL & BSD, should there be one LICENSE file with the text of both licenses? Or two separate files, one for each license?
And I think I should put a copyright/license ...
7
votes
3answers
487 views
How can I hide confidential data in my open source project?
I have an open source project that uploads files to DropBox among several file hosts. Right now I am screen scraping for DropBox. To use their API, I have to hardcode a SECRET KEY provided by them to ...
7
votes
1answer
425 views
What is proper etiquette and recommended GitHub workflow for simultaneously contributing to and diverging from upstream repo?
I'm new to GitHub and VCS in general. I've been programming in various languages for years, but I've always worked solo on custom projects (no public releases). I recently started using a jQuery UI ...
1
vote
2answers
229 views
typical way to share database connection for open-source project, without revealing too much
I have an open source project for mydomain.com which requires connections to a database (...as is tradition). What is the standard practice for allowing others to work on the site, without giving them ...
-4
votes
3answers
294 views
is it okay to remove copyright info from a free, open source API even if you are explicitly told not to do so? [closed]
Just wondering if text such as the following, which appears inside the source files of a free, open source API, means anything in a court of law
// Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, ...
20
votes
5answers
1k views
When did the standard for packaging Linux source code become .tar.gz?
When browsing open-source projects that are primarily developed for Linux systems and downloading the latest packages, the source code is always stored in a .tar.gz or .tar.bz2 file.
Is there any ...
1
vote
1answer
78 views
How to find a project that uses specific frameworks/technologies? [closed]
I would like to practice specific technologies/frameworks like Hibernate, Spring, GWT and so on. How can I find an open-source project that uses specific frameworks technologies so I can contribute to ...
2
votes
2answers
166 views
Can a designer start an open source project? [closed]
I appreciate you can't start an open source project with just an idea but would just a design be enough? Has anyone ever seen that done where a designer posts a design and developers join to start the ...
3
votes
2answers
140 views
Do I need to make the source code available to a modified AGPL application if the application is only exclusively available over my private LAN?
I have a network game licensed under the AGPL that I modified to suit my needs. Theoretically, I want to charge people to play this game over a local area network that is set up in a private ...
1
vote
2answers
207 views
Open Source License that prevents re-selling
I have an open source project that is a add-in to TFS (ie it is for developers and those using TFS.)
It is currently using the GPL. But it occurs to me that the GPL does not really represent what I ...
-1
votes
1answer
173 views
How do you go about understanding the source code of an Open source project? [closed]
I am planning to contribute code through patches to some open source organisations to become more aware of open source development. I have chosen some organisations but when I download their source ...
4
votes
1answer
114 views
How is Pash licensed?
Pash is an open source reimplementation of Windows PowerShell. It was released in 2008, and has been idle since then. I would like to take up the mantle.
It's not clear what the license is. There is ...
1
vote
1answer
122 views
Does a patch for an opensource project inherit the same license?
I have submitted a patch for a GPL'd project and now a third-party wants to include this patch in a product. They have asked me what license my patch uses.
Does my patch have to adopt the GPL ...
9
votes
1answer
245 views
What exactly does the condition in the MIT license imply?
To quote the license itself:
Copyright (C) [year] [copyright holders]
Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining
a copy of this software and associated ...
3
votes
5answers
866 views
Is “watermarking” code with random trailing whitespace a good way to detect plagiarism?
Consider this:
int f(int x)
{
return 2 * x * x;
}
and this
int squareAndDouble(int y)
{
return 2*y*y;
}
If you found these in independent bodies of code, you ...
1
vote
3answers
490 views
Why Open-Source Code? [closed]
What reasons to companies have for open-sourcing libraries and applications?
Doing this may allow a developer to better understand the code, but could doing this allow people to find and exploit ...
2
votes
1answer
101 views
Statistics for and Details About Open Source Swing Projects
I'm looking for process-relative information on open-source Swing projects:
how the task was described
how many developers were involved
how much time the solution was taken
etc.
Are there any ...
29
votes
3answers
1k views
How to deal with well-meaning open-source contributors?
If a programmer contacts you and asks to contribute to your project, how do you handle it?
You don't know if this guy is any good. Perhaps he'll be more trouble than he's worth.
He might be trying ...
1
vote
1answer
221 views
Where does the “mm” come from in GTKmm, glibmm, etc
I understand that the "mm" suffix [in various GTK-associated C++ binding libraries] means "minus minus," but where exactly does it come from?
I understand that there is a programming language called ...
3
votes
5answers
531 views
Security issue about making my code public in GitHub
I'm developing a big community/forum website and I'd like to upload my code to GitHub to have at least some sort of version control over it (because I have nothing other than a .rar file as a backup, ...
3
votes
5answers
193 views
make-like build tools for data?
Make is a standard tools for building software. But
make decides whether a target needs to be regenerated by comparing file modification times.
Are there any proven, preferably small tools that ...
-2
votes
2answers
525 views
What are some good open source iOS components & libraries? [closed]
simply, would you suggest good sources of open source libraries/components for iOS Objective C projects?
I've found a few but it seems they are somewhat elusive and spartan compared with other ...
1
vote
3answers
287 views
Is there any open source code analyzer for java which I can adopt my software metrics algorithm on it? [closed]
I am doing my masters dissertation and I have conducted a software metrics. I need to adopt my metrics on an open source tool. I have found PMD and check style on sourceforge.net but there is not ...
2
votes
3answers
222 views
Anti Cloud Open Source License
I'm working on a browser based open source monitoring project that I want to be free to the community.
What I'm worried about is someone taking the project, renaming it, deploying it in the cloud and ...
2
votes
1answer
185 views
Expanding existing DVCS Wiki [closed]
A portion of my job is to maintain technical documentation for a rapidly expanding manufacturing company. Because it is only a portion of my job and the company's product line is expanding so ...
0
votes
1answer
214 views
Is adding in the header the license type enough to say: “my code is licensed”?
I read on various sites about licenses.
I did just put the license type in the header file (in my case a javascript file, open-source):
/*
* "codeName" "version"
* http://officialsite.com/
*
* ...
0
votes
0answers
84 views
Thinking about open-sourcing quiz project [closed]
I was thinking about starting an open source project. I have a few projects that might work ok as an open project but thought I might dip my toe into the water with a simple quiz project. The idea is ...
4
votes
1answer
111 views
Open Source Projects & ITAR/EAR
What's the story on contributing to open source projects with respect to the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) or the Export Administration Regulations (EAR)?
From how the laws read it ...
2
votes
5answers
252 views
How are requirements determined in open source software projects?
In corporate in-house software development it is common for requirements to be determined through a formal process resulting in the creation of a number of requirements documents. In open source ...
4
votes
3answers
175 views
When to open source a project under development? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Is it OK to push my code to GitHub while it is still in early development?
I've been working on a hobby project for a few months now; it's clocking in at over 15000 ...
1
vote
2answers
360 views
How can you become a real programming polyglot? [closed]
I work as a Java programmer, but C and C++ were always my favourite languages during studies. Unfortunatelly I don't have an opportunity to work with them as often as I would like to. As a result I ...
7
votes
3answers
147 views
Finding co-maintainers for open source projects [closed]
I have a number of open-source projects that have gotten some significant usage and would like to find co-maintainers so that I am not a bottleneck when it comes to maintenance and support requests ...
11
votes
5answers
315 views
How can I best manage making open source code releases from my company's confidential research code?
My company (let's call them Acme Technology) has a library of approximately one thousand source files that originally came from its Acme Labs research group, incubated in a development group for a ...
