mccFeb 2

You don't use open source software because it's better (it usually isn't).

You don't use open source software because it's freer (it only sometimes is).

You don't use open source software because it's got better politics (it isn't always).

You use open source software because *it is the only option*. In the long run, if it isn't open source, it doesn't exist.

image source: keithstack.com

Show threadmccFeb 2
As someone who was a true devotee of FutureWave SmartSketch (which became FutureSplash Animator, which became Macromedia Shockwave Flash, which became Adobe Flash, which became Adobe Animator) my sorrow is incalculable. Every day I long for software I had in the 90s which I can't find anything as good as today.
Show threadLord Caramac the Clueless, KSCFeb 2
@mcc If you use open source software that isn't particularly popular, it might cease to exist as well. I used a "soundtracer" (a kind of synthesizer that you script in a language similar to that being used for POVray scenes) called "sapphire" over a decade ago, and then it suddenly vanished. I can't even find the source anymore, and the last time I downloaded the source a couple of years ago, I couldn't compile it because all the dependencies were outdated.
Show threadGarrett Wollman

@LordCaramac @mcc This. The depth of today's software stack, even in OSS, is enormous, and nearly everything is on a mandatory-update treadmill thanks to compiler and runtime developers no longer caring about backward compatibility. And you can't just not update because everything is exposed to network-borne threats (and other stuff you want/need to run requires newer dependencies).

I've gotten saltier about this in the past 20 years.

Feb 2 at 10:21pmWeb
Show threadLord Caramac the Clueless, KSCFeb 2
@wollman @mcc I still haven't even updated all of my own Python code from Python 2.x to Python 3.x yet. I'll probably do it all within a single week as soon as it becomes too much of a hassle to get Python 2 to work alongside 3.