> SQLite is not open source in the legal sense, as “open source” has a specific definition and requires licenses approved by the Open Source Initiative (OSI).
This is wrong, and harmfully wrong. OSI are not the arbiters of open source. Their Open Source Definition, though generally useful and accepted, is not without legitimate criticism and controversy. As for their approval, that’s a dreadful thing to rely on for any purpose; <https://writing.kemitchell.com/2019/05/05/Rely-on-OSI.html> is a good description of most of what’s wrong with it (it doesn’t really get into the broken politics enough; but some of his other articles contain more), and I like its summary: “The list of OSI-approved licenses reflects OSI’s practical and political history, not any useful, consistently functional category of license terms.”
As for whether SQLite is open source, well, the only reason a public domain dedication doesn’t meet the OSD is that it’s not a license. It’s more open. In a way that is legally mildly uncertain in some jurisdictions, sure, but to call it “not open source in the legal sense” is just wrong.
This is wrong, and harmfully wrong. OSI are not the arbiters of open source. Their Open Source Definition, though generally useful and accepted, is not without legitimate criticism and controversy. As for their approval, that’s a dreadful thing to rely on for any purpose; <https://writing.kemitchell.com/2019/05/05/Rely-on-OSI.html> is a good description of most of what’s wrong with it (it doesn’t really get into the broken politics enough; but some of his other articles contain more), and I like its summary: “The list of OSI-approved licenses reflects OSI’s practical and political history, not any useful, consistently functional category of license terms.”
As for whether SQLite is open source, well, the only reason a public domain dedication doesn’t meet the OSD is that it’s not a license. It’s more open. In a way that is legally mildly uncertain in some jurisdictions, sure, but to call it “not open source in the legal sense” is just wrong.