> You can fork it and use it in and as free software forever. This is only 'unreasonable' if you're a proprietary software vendor. The complaint of a proprietary software vendor strikes me as somewhat ironic here: what, the same deal that you give to your own customers for your own product is one you simply 'can't' take yourself because it's not 'reasonable'?
I am not discussing ethics or morality here, just practicality, and yes, from the perspective of a user that is not primarily releasing open source. Note that it's somewhat different and more general than your characterization. I might be in another business, not software, but unwilling to touch AGPL within my infrastructure due to risk of virality. Strictly speaking, I am not a "proprietary software vendor" as I am not even in the software business, primarily. Nevertheless, your general point stands.
I am not arguing it is bad. Simply that I would not characterize AGPL+CLA as "no vendor lock-in because open source." I put it right in the bucket of e.g. Oracle proprietary database. I am not saying it is bad or totally unreasonable. I just don't buy up the marketing koolaid.
I am not discussing ethics or morality here, just practicality, and yes, from the perspective of a user that is not primarily releasing open source. Note that it's somewhat different and more general than your characterization. I might be in another business, not software, but unwilling to touch AGPL within my infrastructure due to risk of virality. Strictly speaking, I am not a "proprietary software vendor" as I am not even in the software business, primarily. Nevertheless, your general point stands.
I am not arguing it is bad. Simply that I would not characterize AGPL+CLA as "no vendor lock-in because open source." I put it right in the bucket of e.g. Oracle proprietary database. I am not saying it is bad or totally unreasonable. I just don't buy up the marketing koolaid.