Copyleft: Add "or use"

[kemitchell]

First thing we do, let's try the simple way.

[bradrydzewski]

Interesting, this has me interested in run vs use. Running software typically encompasses things like monitoring, hypervisors, etc but that keyword could be charged.

If you rely on this license to develop or use run changes

The thing about use that gave me pause was whether or not it extended to the end user in a software-as-a-service scenario, compared to run which seemed to be more targeted.

[kemitchell]

My gut tells me "run" and "use" are both pretty general, and "use" slightly more so, since it's a word in far more common use in this context. "Execute" would overspecify.

[bradrydzewski]

Good point, I also think I failed to consider the full context of the sentence when I was evaluating the change. Since "use" only applies to "software that you make available to others" it seems my previous concerns were inaccurate. An end user is not making software available to others.

[bradrydzewski]

operate could also be interesting since it tends to encompass many of the verbs in parity (deployment, monitoring, analytics, etc) which use may not encompass. It is also common vocabulary in the developer world. I have no real opposition to use, however, I just wanted to throw out a few different options.

If you rely on this license to develop or operate changes, additions, or other software that you make available to others---by sharing copies with them, making available for them to use, directly or indirectly, or using to process data from or about them---contribute that software.

[kemitchell]

"Operate" is interesting. I'm not sure I've ever heard that before. "Operate a business", sure. "Operate software", not so much.

"Administer"? "Deploy"? But those all imply additional facts, like having someone else's attention or infrastructure, that don't apply to running an app on a phone or a laptop.

[bradrydzewski]

Traditionally IT organizations were split between "Development" and "Operations" [1] teams. The development team would write and package code, and then hand off to operations to deploy and run the code. The operations team handle provisioning servers, upgrading and monitoring, and were typically on call as the first line of defense in the event of an outage.

In the last five years there has been a huge push towards "Devops" [2], a portmanteau of Developer and Operations, that tries to combine the roles and organizations to improve efficiency and accountability. I feel like devops, as a category of software, would be the target audience for Parity or Temerity [3].

The term is pretty common in developer vernacular, but is derived from a more generic business term called operations management. I took a college course on operations management so the term is pretty common in the business world. Perhaps the fact that the term is used in broader industry in a non-technical way, but still relates to our target use cases is a plus?

Operations management is an area of management concerned with designing and controlling the process of production and redesigning business operations in the production of goods or services

I have not through through the mobile app use case, but would be interested in flushing out some use cases to get a better understanding of where it might fall short.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_center_management#Operations
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DevOps
[3] https://github.com/collections/devops-tools

[kemitchell]

Is “operate” really that common? Could you link some examples, as if you were making a case to add that usage to a dictionary? Just admit, if I’ve seen that kind of usage, I haven internalized it.

[bradrydzewski]

It is no longer en vogue to have operations teams, so you typically see people combining developer and operations into the singular term devops. So many of the uses of operations can be found in devops related content. I have tried to provide some links and snippets below.

• https://blogs.gartner.com/it-glossary/operations-services/

  • [Operations] services may include systems operation or support, administration, security, performance monitoring, technical diagnostics/troubleshooting, configuration management, system repair management, and generation of management reports

• https://github.com/kubernetes/kops

  • Kubernetes Operations (kops) - Production Grade K8s Installation, Upgrades, and Management

• https://github.com/operator-framework

  • The Operator Framework is an open source toolkit to manage Kubernetes native applications, called Operators, in an effective, automated, and scalable way.

• https://aws.amazon.com/devops/what-is-devops/

  • Under a DevOps model, development and operations teams are no longer “siloed.” Sometimes, these two teams are merged into a single team where the engineers work across the entire application lifecycle, from development and test to deployment to operations, and develop a range of skills not limited to a single function.

• https://cloud.google.com/blog/products/devops-sre

  • Breaking down barriers between developers and operators.

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IT_operations_architecture#Elements_of_operations_architecture

  • Some of the most common elements of operations architecture are: Production scheduling/monitoring, System monitoring, Performance Monitoring [...]

• https://techbeacon.com/devops/when-devops-realized-overcoming-traditional-dev-ops-mindsets

  • Operations operates. IT operations or IT admins have one objective: make sure everything is operating optimally. Operations ensures that network resources are available and functioning at peak performance

• https://github.com/collections/devops-tools

  • These tools help you manage servers and deploy happier and more often with more confidence.

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DevOps

I also think of "operate" in terms of operating system

the software that supports a computer's basic functions, such as scheduling tasks, executing applications, and controlling peripherals.

[kemitchell]

@bradrydzewski awesome!

In usage, does "operations" ever code situations where software gets installed on, and run from, the user's machine, by the user themself?

[bradrydzewski]

I definitely see your point. I think operate is more common when describing server software, as opposed to desktop or mobile applications. I think manage might be more common. You manage your local applications. You manage downloads, etc. But it might be a stretch compared to use, especially depending on the target use case.

Do you have a specific desktop or mobile use case in mind that you can share? I would like to add to my list of test cases.

[kemitchell]

@bradrydzewski if you have a blog, your prior comment is prime material for a quick post. I'm not the only one who will find it interesting and useful.