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OpenContent Closes Its Doors

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the lotta-good-done dept.

meta4 writes "After five years of pioneering the application of open source principles to stuff other than software, OpenContent is closing down. Project Lead David Wiley provides a rationale for the closing on the website, as well as a brief overview of the projects' successes. Wiley has joined Creative Commons as Project Lead for Educational Licensing."

5 of 101 comments (clear)

  1. Shame... by byolinux · · Score: 4, Interesting

    ...but Creative Commons is a useful license, and it's integration with tools like Movable Type meant that this was pretty inevitable, sadly.

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    Join the Free Software Foundation
  2. Is there a copy? by Chris_Stankowitz · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Will any of the content still be available anywhere on the web?

  3. Just as he says. by Surak · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Wiley's closing down Open Content, because he thinks Creative Commons is doing a better job and making his group somewhat obsolete. He's joining Creative Commons, so its not like he's changed his mind or has stopped working on the goals Open Content provided.

    It's kind of sad to see it go, but I have to agree with Wiley -- and I know I'm going to piss off a WHOLE bunch of people when I say this -- I think Creative Commons is a better approach, and I think it's even a better approach than GPL/LGPL. The licenses are worded in a very common sense fashion, written by a team of IP experts, and give *you* the flexibility in determining what features you do and do not want in a license. It makes licensing a no-brainer for the software developer (or content developer) that doesn't spend so much time worrying about the license.

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    My journal has hot /. gossip.
  4. Ahh... by srichter · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I just started writing a book under the Open Publication License. I just hope the publisher will let me change that. I think the worst problem with the shutdown is that I am not offered a migration path, like "The OPL is compatible with the Creative Commons Attribution License." or something like that.

    I gave the license a quick scan and it seems very nice and Creative Commons makes a point of not being an involved party, something I find annoying in some other licenses.

    --
    -- Stephan Richter
  5. He stood up for me once. by AtariDatacenter · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I publish a number of arcade documents under the Open Content license. Some people have used the license fairly. One person blatently stole a bunch of stuff for a commercial site. Worse, they were in England.

    I'm pleased to say that he went to bat for me and, as a third party, convinced the other person to take down the material, where I as an individual was unsuccessful.

    I'll look into the Creative Commons, but I'm sorry to see this go.

    The web pages that I had published are gone, but I'm working on something new. An Arcade Gameroom Design Information website. I need to change my OC license links... they're bad. But take a look! And, yes, "cox.net" is COX cable. ;)