Are there any drawbacks to making a web application completely open source?
- posted by: cade galt on 2015-11-11
- tagged:
software, intellectual-property
- score: 4
If I put my entire web application on github it can be cloned pretty much instantaneously.
Is this something I should be worried about?
Answer 7819
- posted by: addaaaq on 2015-11-12
- score: 2
Yes we are developing a web application too and we opted a private repository than public. Someone may stumble on your account, may like it and copy it to his PC. He may develop it faster than you and deploy it before you. It’s very hard to trace who the real author is. So I suggest you use BitBucket which gives free private repository or upgrade GIT Hub repo to private
Answer 7823
- posted by: Dawny33 on 2015-11-12
- score: 1
There are some drawbacks, but they can be overcome. So, here are some which I can see:
- Someone copying your code: I would disagree with the answer already provided here. You can have a Readme file in your repository, where you can clearly state the licensing details. If you are still uncomfortable, then you need to opt for private repos.
- Competitor analysing your progress: Making your source code completely online before releasing the product can make you very transparent to competitors. So, you can develop the new product in private repos and then release the product in public during the launch.
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