Open Source software development has many virtues:
1. it enables contributions - defect repairs and enhancements -? from multiple developers
2. it enables anyone to examine the source code to see how it works, identify and report defects, and suggest improvements
3. it lowers the acquisition cost to users
The expectation is that modifications to an open source project will be contributed to that project, though such contributions may not be accepted. If the modifications are not accepted, they can still be used by the modification's developer(s) and their organization(s), who take responsibility for the modified project's maintenance. These developers have created a "fork" of the project source code, which they will use and maintain. If enough other developers and organizations learn about the fork and begin using it, the project's leaders may rethink their decision to reject the modifications they were offered and incorporate them into the project, effectively absorbing the fork. The more active forks, the more time the project's leaders must spend monitoring those forks (via their offered contributions) rather than moving the project forward.
In contrast, if another set of developers simply grab an open source project's source code and without discussion begin making significant changes to create their own competitive project, then even if these changes are conveyed to the original project (as is often required by the license under which the source code is made open source), the fork is considered "hostile".?
My understanding is that the developer of JS8 discussed his idea for an "interactive FT8" application with the WSJT-X development team leads, and it was agreed that a separate project made sense; thus JS8 is not a hostile fork. As Joe W4TV pointed out, the various development versions of WSJT-X aren't hostile forks either.
Imagine working flat-out in your spare time for years as part of a team striving to create a new application for the amateur radio community only to discover that someone has taken your team's source code and used it to create a competitive project. Would you still be motivated to continue contributing to open source projects? Me neither. That's why hostile forks are bad for open source software development, and should be discouraged, in my opinion.
? ? ? ?73,
? ? ? ? ? ? ?Dave, AA6YQ
