753304 - Support metadata for definition of, and search by, open-sourceness

Status: RESOLVED DUPLICATE of bug 805073

(Marketplace Graveyard :: General, enhancement, P5)

Description

[Gervase Markham [:gerv]]

The Android Market does not have metadata indicating whether an app is open source or not, and what license it's available under. This means that entirely new marketplaces like FDroid have been created to feature only open source apps.

Mozilla believes that "free and open source software promotes the development of the Internet as a public resource". Therefore, we should encourage the development of web apps which are open source, and enable consumers to actively choose and support them, by:

a) Requiring developers to select a source code license when entering an app in the store (either simply Proprietary / Open Source, or with options for various open source licenses)

b) Making it possible (perhaps in an Advanced Search) to search for apps based on those criteria.

Gerv

Comment 1

[Gervase Markham [:gerv]]

I should add that, as well as demonstrating how different Mozilla is to other available options, this is particularly good for Brazil, where free software and free culture activism is at a high level and awareness of the concept is high.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/29/technology/29computer.html
http://www.laquadrature.net/en/in-defense-of-free-culture-in-brazil

Gerv