Mastodawn

@Linux I am just curious here. Have you ever done any administration of the #OpenLiteSpeed webserver? I've just begun to play with it and I am thinking of replacing Apache with it in my workflow because it's lightweight and performant. The only thing is I have some moral qualms because it's really kind of corporatized; being a crippled version of the commercial LiteSpeed webserver.

MOVED to: @[email protected]Jun 3, 2025

@housepanther

Lite Speed (LiteSpeed) Web Server is something I avoided, and also recommended against. Their software license had a morality clause, for example, you agree not to use their software on any adult website, or any website promoting LGBTQ+ content.

I believed in an open and free web, and the idea that these people made this alternative to Apache, but then told people they could only use it a certain way, always bothered me. It has been years since I have touched the software, since many people eventually started using Nginx if they were not using Apache.

#LiteSpeed #LiteSpeedApache

MOVED to: @[email protected]Jun 3, 2025

@housepanther

A follow-up -- I did not know there was now an Open Lite Speed project. I would not know, nothing about it, sorry. But I would assume it would be similar to LiteSpeed, and would be curious what their software license was like.

@Linux The OpenLiteSpeed webserver is GPLv3 but I am not going to touch it with a 10 foot pole based on the fact that its parent company is trying to enforce "Christian" morality onto its software.

MOVED to: @[email protected]Jun 3, 2025

@housepanther

You would have to comb through the post-history, but the forum community, Web Hosting Talk, years ago had many angry people argue over the details of LiteSpeed Web Server.

#WebHostingTalk #LiteSpeed #LiteSpeedApache

@Linux Yeah I see it now. I have no qualms with legal, non-eploitive pornography. Of course I am utterly horrified by, and will never condone, child pornography. That could be the reason why LiteSpeed took that road that they did and decided to expressly forbid all porn; out of an abundance of caution.

MOVED to: @[email protected]Jun 3, 2025

@housepanther If it were that simple, I would agree, but they also bundled LGBTQ+ into the mix too, counting that as "adult content" even if there is nothing adult about it. -- It is morality / ethnical clause however they try to frame it.

@Linux Oooh. Yeah, that changes drastically. LGBTQ+ content has nothing morally questionable about it. There's nothing "adult" about it either. I won't use anything #litespeed

Kingu Jun 3, 2025

@housepanther @Linux

I find reference to this in forums and other places but not in their EULA itself.

Do you have a link to the page where this "rule" is described?

@Kingu @Linux Maybe it's since been removed now but the damage is done with me.

MOVED to: @[email protected]

@housepanther @Kingu

So a story about that is they moved it from the EULA to their subscriber agreement (because LiteSpeed was a paid product). Then when that gave them bad press, they moved it somewhere else, and then started to silently impose the rule.

I would not trust LiteSpeed Web Server.

#LiteSpeed #LiteSpeedApache

@Linux @Kingu It's definitely over for me. I want no part of them!

lemgandi Jun 3, 2025

@Linux @housepanther @Kingu lighttpd? ( https://www.lighttpd.net/ )

Home - Lighttpd - fly light

@lemgandi @Linux @Kingu Eh, not quite flexible enough for my usage but good thought.

MOVED to: @[email protected]Jun 3, 2025

@lemgandi @housepanther @Kingu

Is that the open source version? I was talking about this one https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LiteSpeed_Web_Server

LiteSpeed Web Server - Wikipedia

@Linux @lemgandi @Kingu The open source version is pretty stripped down when compared to the enterprise one. It's really and truly crippleware.