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Open Source Policy

At Figuro, we value the importance of contributing to the open source community whenever possible. Our philosophy is to develop and support open source projects while safeguarding our private and confidential information.

To ensure that our open source projects align with our business objectives and values, the following guidelines must be followed:

  1. Approval Process: All open source projects must be approved by management before disclosing. Approval will be based on factors such as alignment with company values, potential benefits to the company, and potential risks associated with the disclosure.
  2. License: All projects intended to be open source should be released under the MIT license to avoid any potential liabilities derived from usage. The MIT license is permissive and enables users to freely use, modify, and distribute the software while providing clear attribution.
  3. No Competitor Code: Open source projects shouldn't implement any closed code or enable direct competition with our core business. While we support open source, we need to ensure that we're not inadvertently contributing to our competitors' success or creating conflicts of interest.

Contributing to External Open Source Projects​

We encourage our team members to contribute to external open source projects whenever possible, as it helps to build a stronger and more supportive developer community. However, it is important to ensure that the contributions align with our company philosophy and guidelines. Here are some guidelines to follow when contributing to external open source projects:

  1. Ensure that the project is aligned with our values and does not involve any conflicts of interest.
  2. Follow the project's contribution guidelines and ensure that your contributions are aligned with the project's goals.
  3. Avoid contributing any confidential or proprietary information, including code or data.
  4. Ensure that the project's license aligns with our company policy, and that the license does not impose any restrictions that conflict with our core business.
  5. Obtain approval from management before contributing to external open source projects that are significant in scope or require a significant time investment.

Accepting External Contributions​

When considering external contributions to our internal projects, there are several things we should consider.

First, we need to ensure that the contribution aligns with our open source policy and does not contain any private or confidential information.

Second, we need to evaluate the quality and relevance of the contribution to determine if it aligns with our project's goals and if it improves our project.

Lastly, we should review the code for any potential issues, including security vulnerabilities or compatibility problems, before accepting the contribution. By considering these factors, we can ensure that we accept external contributions that are beneficial to our projects while maintaining the quality and security of our codebase.

External Contribution Disclaimer​

Adding a disclaimer to our open source projects is crucial to protect our company's interests and reputation. By doing so, we make it clear to users and contributors that we are not responsible for any damages or liabilities that may arise from the use of our software. It also helps to avoid any potential legal issues that may arise from using third-party contributions. Therefore, we strongly encourage our team members to always include the following disclaimer in our open source projects to provide clarity and transparency to our users and contributors.

We welcome contributions to our internal projects from external contributors. If you would like to contribute, please follow these guidelines:

1. Fork the project and create a new branch for your changes.
2. Ensure your changes follow our code style and formatting guidelines.
3. Write clear and concise commit messages that explain the purpose of your changes.
4. Submit a pull request to the main branch of the project.
5. Your pull request will be reviewed by our team and we may request changes or ask questions before merging.
6. Once your changes have been reviewed and approved, they will be merged into the main branch of the project.

Please note that by submitting a pull request, you agree to license your contribution under the same license as the project (usually MIT). Also, please keep in mind that we prioritize internal team contributions over external contributions, so there may be a delay in reviewing and merging your pull request.
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By following these guidelines, we can contribute to the open source community while protecting our interests and maintaining the trust of our stakeholders.

Resources​

Here are some additional resources you can use to learn more about permissive open-source licenses:

  • MIT License: A simple, permissive license that allows for commercial use, modification, distribution, and private use of the software. It is one of the most commonly used open-source licenses.

  • BSD 3-Clause License: A permissive license that allows for redistribution and use of the software, both commercially and non-commercially, as long as the original copyright notice and disclaimer are included.

  • Apache License 2.0: A permissive license that allows for the distribution, modification, and use of the software, both commercially and non-commercially. It also includes patent rights and indemnification clauses.

  • Mozilla Public License 2.0: A permissive license that allows for the use, modification, and distribution of the software, both commercially and non-commercially. It also includes patent rights and a copyleft provision.

  • Creative Commons Licenses: A series of licenses that allow creators to share their work with others under specific conditions. These licenses can be applied to software as well as other types of creative works.