December 16, 2025
Open-ish or Closed-fist?
O'saasy License Agreement
MIT vibes, but no cloud copycats — commenters are furious
TLDR: O’saasy copies MIT’s do-what-you-want vibe but forbids turning the software into a rival cloud service. The comments exploded: critics say it’s not truly open source and dangerously vague, while others nod at business realities. It matters because it could reshape how startups protect their products from copycat cloud hosts.
A new “O’saasy” license just landed: basically the super-permissive MIT License but with one spicy twist — you can’t turn it into a competing cloud service. The community? Absolutely lit. don’tdoxxme opened with a hammer: “It is not open source, it is not free,” calling the clause vague and warning of shifting interpretations. VPS hosts and marketplaces were dragged into the ambiguity, and the vibe was: proceed at your own risk.
sneak went full philosophy, accusing projects of chasing “open source” clout without believing in actual software freedoms — specifically Freedom 0 (the right to run software for any purpose) from the free software principles. Translation for non-nerds: you can look, tweak, and share, but don’t build a rival cloud app from it.
Meanwhile, the_mitsuhiko invoked Sentry’s history, hinting at the hard balance between staying open and surviving the “anyone can host your product” reality. tzahifadida called open source a marketing tactic for growth: great if you’re broke, pointless if you’re rich.
And for comic relief, gorgoiler dubbed licenses “mythical swords,” saying this clause hasn’t been battle-tested — cue memes about “Goblinbane License” and “MIT, but hold my cloud.” The thread split into camps: protect-the-maker vs. freedom-or-bust, with plenty of popcorn in between.
Key Points
- •Grants broad permissions to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and sell the software.
- •Requires inclusion of copyright and permission notices in all copies or substantial portions.
- •Prohibits using the software to directly compete with the licensor by offering it as a hosted/managed SaaS or cloud service where functionality is the primary value.
- •Provides the software “AS IS” without warranties, disclaiming merchantability, fitness, and noninfringement.
- •Limits liability of authors and copyright holders for claims or damages arising from use of the software.