This has nothing to do with security, and everything to do with liability.
You can’t really sue an open source project using a proper license, they disclaim any liability or warranty, meaning the buck stops with you.
If you hire a software development firm and pay for them to build software for you, you will have a different license, the software company can just repackage open source software into their own UI and branding, take the money and declare bankruptcy if their customers try to sue them.
The customers are mostly happy, they get to tick the box that they have a support contract for the software and a company is liable if shit hits the fan. The software development company is happy, they get money for doing very little actual work.
The open source project probably doesn’t know about the abuse of the license and thus mostly doesn’t care.
napkin2020@sh.itjust.works 1 day ago
It makes blaming someone really easy though and that’s all that matters in a corporate world.
9point6@lemmy.world 1 day ago
This is legitimately it. The same reason corporations often pay for Linux (e.g. RHEL)—the people in charge want to be able to pick up a phone and harass someone until they fix their problem. They simply can’t fathom any alternative approach to managing dependencies.
InputZero@lemmy.world 1 day ago
Not just pick up the phone and harass someone but to also have someone to press a lawsuit against if things go really wrong. With free software the liability typically ends at the user which means all they can do is fire the employee and eat the loss. Suppose now corporate paid for it, well now there is a contract and a party that can be sued.
schnurrito@discuss.tchncs.de 1 day ago
The greentext reminds me of this FAQ entry: www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/…/faq.html#f…
Laser@feddit.org 1 day ago
I read only part of the URL and thought this was about puzzles. Never knew the guy made Putty as well
lessthanluigi@lemmy.sdf.org 1 day ago
So the corporations are just The Gang in It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia?
Object@sh.itjust.works 1 day ago
Would be really funny if they still get fucked over because of some fine print in the disclaimer
Saledovil@sh.itjust.works 1 day ago
Or maybe the vendor goes with “take the money and run”.