The Day AppGet Died (keivan.io)

Article summary

The creator of AppGet, a package manager for Windows, recounts how Microsoft expressed interest in their project, but after a series of meetings and discussions, ultimately decided not to hire them or acquire AppGet. Instead, Microsoft released their own package manager, WinGet, which bears similarities to AppGet. The creator is not upset about the idea being copied, but rather about the lack of credit given to AppGet. The experience has led to a discussion about the pros and cons of open-sourcing code and the potential risks of large corporations using open-source ideas without proper attribution.

Main themes

• open-source risks
• corporate ethics
• intellectual property
• license effectiveness
• developer protection
• innovation vs. exploitation

What commenters say

• Some commenters argue that open-sourcing code can lead to large corporations using the ideas without proper attribution or compensation.
• Others suggest that using licenses like the GPL or AGPL can help prevent this issue, but there are differing opinions on the effectiveness of these licenses.
• It is argued that large corporations often prioritize their own interests over ethical considerations, making it difficult for individual developers to protect their work.
• Some commenters believe that the concept of intellectual property is not always clear-cut, and that ideas can be protected by patents, but this is not always a straightforward process.
• There are concerns that the lack of transparency and accountability in the way large corporations interact with individual developers can lead to unfair outcomes.
• The use of licenses like the GPL or AGPL can force companies to contribute back to the open-source community, but this may not always be the case.
• Some argue that the risk of large corporations using open-source ideas without attribution is a necessary risk to take in order to promote innovation and progress.
• Others believe that individual developers should be more careful and strategic in how they share their work, in order to protect their interests.