License risks from ad hoc reuse of code from the internet.

The article discusses the reuse of ad hoc code from the Internet, arguing that the use of such code by software developers bears both economic and legal risks for employers. The authors say that Internet code including open source software (OSS), while suitable for reuse in commercial software, is o...

Descripción completa

Detalles Bibliográficos
Publicado en:Communications of the ACM Vol. 54; no. 12; pp. 74 - 82
Autores principales: Sojer, Manuel, Henkel, Joachim
Formato: Artículo
Publicado: Association for Computing Machinery Dec2011
Materias:
Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
Descripción
Sumario:The article discusses the reuse of ad hoc code from the Internet, arguing that the use of such code by software developers bears both economic and legal risks for employers. The authors say that Internet code including open source software (OSS), while suitable for reuse in commercial software, is often under licenses which require users to comply with conditions such as obligations under the GNU General Public License (GPL). A survey conducted by the authors found that many software developers do not follow these requirements. The article provides advice on how to mitigate risk by making developers aware of license issues and establishing policies on Internet code.