The Changelog: Software Development, Open Source You can FINALLY use JSHint for evil (Interview)
Dec 20, 2020
In this discussion with Mike Pennisi, the maintainer of JSHint, we dive into the complexities of software licensing and how they can hinder open-source projects. Mike shares the journey of JSHint, particularly the significant shift from a restrictive license to a more accessible MIT license, enabling broader adoption. He discusses the ethical implications of licensing choices and the emotional weight of such decisions. The conversation also highlights the importance of maintaining human connections in the developer community, stressing empathy and authentic engagement.
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The "Good, Not Evil" Clause
- JSHint’s "for good, not evil" clause created adoption issues.
- Legally-conscious teams avoided it due to the ambiguous and unenforceable language.
Licensing Issues
- Adding clauses to established licenses like MIT creates ambiguity and deters adoption.
- Organizations and legal teams avoid vaguely licensed software.
JSX and Mozilla 1.6
- Mike Pennisi hesitated to add JSX support to JSHint, partly due to personal bias against Facebook.
- He also had concerns about supporting non-standard language additions based on past experiences with Mozilla’s JavaScript 1.6.