Open Source: A Good to Be Exploited?
Is Amazon Web Services taking undue advantage of open source software, or is it simply giving its users what they want (or perhaps both)? It seems to be a matter of perspective. ZDNet reports, โAWS Hits Back at Open-Source Software Critics: Claims that AWS is Strip-Mining Open-Source Software is โSilly and Off-Base,โ Says Exec.โ The defense is in response to a piece (paywalled) in the New York Times in which open-source creators complained the company takes the liberty of freely integrating their work into its profitable platform. Writer Liam Tung specifies:
โAccording to the New York Times report, several rivals have discussed bringing antitrust complaints against AWS. Bloomberg reported this month that the Federal Trade Commission has asked software companies about AWS. Cloudflare CEO Matthew Prince told the NYT that โpeople are afraid that Amazonโs ambitions are endlessโ. Cloudflare operates a large content distribution network, which competes with a subsection of AWS.โ
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