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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).

Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.

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How do you, or do you vet if a software will paywall features or "enshittify"? (lemmy.world)

submitted 4 days ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

46 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Obviously we all want to avoid enshittified (aggressively monetized) software or at least get our money's worth. I'm looking at self-hosting software right now and one I'm looking has a pricing page but only for cloud (no other paywalled features) and is open source. I tried looking up future plans and didn't find much, so it doesn't seem like it will enshittify. (not related) I had thought about switching to Omnivore for a long time but then they merged with ElevenLabs and the rest is history.

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[–] [email protected] 23 points 3 days ago (2 children)

My basic check is: Are there investors / vc people involved? If so, then it will inevitably enshittify. If not, then requires further investigation. OSI-approved open source is a big plus

Even when choosing what seems like good software, I think it's important to consider switching costs. How easily can you move to another solution, say the second pick, if things go south?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 days ago

This is absolutely the answer. If it isn't funneling money away from actual value creation and into their pockets, it's evil in the mind of the investors.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 days ago

Two very good points here. The second is the one I've been thinking about recently. It's about considering what format your data is kept in and if you can usably get that out and implement it somewhere else without too much work.