With the explosion of Mastodon use, some people may have come across Bookwyrm, a federated network that uses ActivityPub protocols. It’s supposed to be something like a decentralized alternative to Goodreads. I was excited about it at first, but fortunately was quickly warned about its license. It’s unsuitable for me, for independent writers, and for advocates of freedom. I thought about whether I should even mention it, but decided I should post a brief warning.

The problem is write at the top: “This is anti-capitalist software, released for free use by individuals and organizations that do not operate by capitalist principles.” Software licenses that restrict who can use the software and for what purpose are almost always a bad idea, even when the restriction isn’t inherently bad, as it is in this case. Open-source code which only some people are allowed to use isn’t open-source.

Most obviously, it implicitly excludes publishing houses and self-employed authors. Organizations that aren’t employee-owned are explicitly excluded. That’s worse than senseless. Depending on how you read it, it could also exclude people who live by capitalist principles, such as giving value for value and rejecting governmental control over what can be published. 🚩

As I understand it, the restriction applies only to the people who install and run the software, not to users of their websites. Even so, prohibiting installations that accept capitalist principles will have an obvious effect on users’ options. If I want to be true to the clear spirit and intent of the license, I can’t start a Bookwyrm instance oriented toward free-market and classical liberal books, and I shouldn’t expect to find one.

The license also excludes “law enforcement or military” organizations. It’s funny how often people who want a centrally controlled economy don’t like the people who would enforce it.

Best to keep a long distance from Bookwyrm.