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Discussion on: When does proprietary code become too proprietary?

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Daniel Brady • Edited

I haven't given this topic much thought prior to this comment, but my knee-jerk reaction is that I would prefer less proprietary approach to code in general.

The only reason I can think of to keep code secret is if exposing it might hurt people more than help them. For example, it's probably not a good idea to expose the code that is used for defending or protecting something, because the primary goal of that code is to guard against mal-intent.

But the vast majority of software is providing a service to people, and when the recipe to the "secret sauce" is shared with others on a platform like Bitbucket or Github, it creates more opportunities for the quality of your service to be improved, which benefits everyone including your business.

I guess I'm thinking that a business model based too much on the secrecy of source code is putting a glass ceiling over its ability to deliver quality service.

I would like to see most companies adopt the GNU General Public License or something similar:

Open-source licenses available on Github
Image source: choosealicense.com/

I think this encourages quality improvements to your service while discouraging practices by others that would harm your business.