diff --git a/README.md b/README.md index 77c0745dea76fe7fceed902851e6375441842bf2..3520988e7e3b6c585b112662459e836bafadda57 100644 --- a/README.md +++ b/README.md @@ -1,25 +1,20 @@ -Research on *delayed open source publication* (DOSP): the practice of -publishing a software release under a proprietary license initially, -then later (usually in a planned fashion) publishing that release's -source code under an open source license. - -While delayed open source publication has been somewhat rare, there are -some examples of it across the history of open source -- in fact, some -of the examples (e.g., Aladdin Ghostscript) predate the coining of the -term "open source". To the best of our knowledge, when software -authors have done this it has usually been in a fairly predictable -way. For example, when release N goes out under a proprietary -license, release N-1 is then (re)published under an open source -license. - This repository is a collection of research, and a resultant [whitepaper](https://opensource.org/delayed-open-source-publication), -about various examples of DOSP and show how they are alike or -different. We also analyze the effects (if any) of this practice -generally on open source as a field. Our purpose is to provide -accurate historical description and objective analysis; our work here -represents no position on the desirability or undesirability of -delayed open source publication. +about *delayed open source publication* (DOSP): the practice of +publishing a software release under a proprietary license initially, +then later publishing that release's source code under an open source +license. (This is often, but not always, done in a predictable +fashion: e.g., when release N goes out under a proprietary license, +release N-1 is then (re)published under an open source license.) + +There are examples of DOSP across the history of open source -- in +fact, some of the examples (e.g., Aladdin Ghostscript) predate the +coining of the term "open source". We looked at various instances of +DOSP and examined how they are alike or different. We also analyzed +the effects (if any) of DOSP on open source as a field. Our purpose +was to provide accurate historical description and objective analysis; +our work here represents no position on the desirability or +undesirability of delayed open source publication. This research was supported by the [Open Source Initiative (OSI)](https://opensource.org/). The report is now completed and