Proprietary code is very useful in cases where security and optimization are the most important factors of a given software but having too much proprietary code in a codebase can significantly hurt maintainability. So, once again, when does proprietary code become too proprietary and where does someone draw the line?
For further actions, you may consider blocking this person and/or reporting abuse
Top comments (2)
I haven't given this topic much thought prior to this comment, but my knee-jerk reaction is that I would prefer less proprietary approach to code in general.
The only reason I can think of to keep code secret is if exposing it might hurt people more than help them. For example, it's probably not a good idea to expose the code that is used for defending or protecting something, because the primary goal of that code is to guard against mal-intent.
But the vast majority of software is providing a service to people, and when the recipe to the "secret sauce" is shared with others on a platform like Bitbucket or Github, it creates more opportunities for the quality of your service to be improved, which benefits everyone including your business.
I guess I'm thinking that a business model based too much on the secrecy of source code is putting a glass ceiling over its ability to deliver quality service.
I would like to see most companies adopt the GNU General Public License or something similar:
Image source: choosealicense.com/
I think this encourages quality improvements to your service while discouraging practices by others that would harm your business.
When there is a big learning curve for the code. It cannot be extended to any other use case outside. Open source tooling cannot be used and there is a need to create custom tooling, CI/CD pipelines.