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Open source is typically of high quality and can be counted on to run reliably. That doesn't mean you don't have to do your homework before deploying it.
First and foremost, you now have to contend with GPLv3, the recently updated version of the Free Software Foundation's General Public License. GPLv3 imposes restrictions on digital rights management and embedded Linux that might prove troublesome if your company plans to resell code based on open source. GPLv3 applies to a minor part of open source code so far. Only 693 projects are issuing code under it. By comparison, 5,219 projects license under GPLv2 "or later," meaning the same code is available under both licenses. GPLv2 projects were never expected to convert en masse to GPLv3. That will happen gradually as developers decide on the merits of GPLv3 when releasing new or updated software.
The Opportunity |