DevX: No Easy Fix for Open Source Licensing Issues | Linux Today

DevX: No Easy Fix for Open Source Licensing Issues

Written By
Web Webster
Web Webster
Feb 3, 2005

“The Open Source Initiative (OSI), the non-profit organization
that manages the Open Source Definition and certifies open-source
licenses, lists nearly 60 approved licenses on its Web
site—and at the rate they’re currently being added, that
tally may increase before you’ve finished reading this article. The
large number of licenses has led to confusion among the developers
and companies who use them and rancor among the lawyers who must
navigate their legal compatibility. The toughest chore still rests
with the OSI itself, however: reining in the proliferation of open
source licenses.

“In a public presentation at the OSDL Enterprise Linux Summit
here yesterday morning, Lawrence Rosen, an attorney and a computer
specialist, offered a sampling of license requests he received via
e-mail as general counsel for the OSI…”

Complete
Story

Web Webster

Web Webster

Web Webster has more than 20 years of writing and editorial experience in the tech sector. He’s written and edited news, demand generation, user-focused, and thought leadership content for business software solutions, consumer tech, and Linux Today, he edits and writes for a portfolio of tech industry news and analysis websites including webopedia.com, and DatabaseJournal.com.

Linux Today Logo

LinuxToday is a trusted, contributor-driven news resource supporting all types of Linux users. Our thriving international community engages with us through social media and frequent content contributions aimed at solving problems ranging from personal computing to enterprise-level IT operations. LinuxToday serves as a home for a community that struggles to find comparable information elsewhere on the web.

Property of TechnologyAdvice. © 2026 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.