GitLab, Gitorious, and Free Software

In early 2015, GitLab acquired Gitorious, sparking mixed reactions within the free software community due to concerns about software freedom and licensing. Mike Gerwitz, a free software advocate, initially approached GitLab's CEO, Sytse Sijbrandij, with apprehension regarding GitLab's permissive Expat license, which allows for proprietary derivatives. However, Gerwitz was pleasantly surprised by Sijbrandij's openness to community feedback and his commitment to addressing concerns, particularly regarding the liberation of client-side JavaScript from GitLab's proprietary Enterprise Edition. This collaboration led to a license change that ensured all JavaScript served to clients would be free, demonstrating GitLab's willingness to align some of its practices with free software principles. While fundamental disagreements remain, such as GitLab's "open core" business model, the company's actions, especially in response to community input, have been viewed as encouraging steps towards supporting software freedom.

No tracked trend matches for this post yet.

Use this post, company, and trend context to find content marketing opportunities, perform competitive analysis, or address product feature gaps via the Plushcap MCP server or the Plushcap API.