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Ask Slashdot: What To Do With Shelved OSS Project Fixes?

Posted by timothy on from the why-not-ask-your-old-boss? dept.

New submitter superwiz writes: A company for which I worked for recently had a project which required debugging a few abandoned OSS projects. 2 of the projects ended up not being used in the company products even though bugs were found and resolved in them. This puts me in a legal limbo. Since the company paid for my time to work out those bugs, they own the copyright. I can't release them. But since they shelved the projects in which the OSS code was to be used, they don't have to release the code to the public. It would be pretty simple to identify me as the person who made the changes even if I were to release the code anonymously because these changes were committed to my former employer's private repository. Should I just forget it? I don't like the idea of information loss, especially given how much benefit that company already derives from other OSS projects. But I also don't want to release the code which I don't own. Has anyone been in this situation before? How did you handle it (other than just 'forget about it')?

4 of 122 comments (clear)

  1. Easiest answer by Mhrmnhrm · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Just ask your company. Even though they've decided not to continue using and improving that particular project, they gain nothing by withholding the fixes, but could gain developer goodwill (useful in future endeavors) and positive PR (always nice to have) by allowing the patches to at least be submitted upstream, even if they're not ultimately merged.

    --
    I suspect that one of these choices is incorrect. Correct.
    1. Re:Easiest answer by Meadlin · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Agreed. Most of the time companies will allow the release of OSS changes as long as not core intellectual property is released. As long as you don't post the fix without consent (GET IT IN WRITING!!) you're fine. If they don't allow the release, well, you have to remember, you were paid for the work, so it's their choice..

    2. Re: Easiest answer by WarJolt · · Score: 5, Funny

      Just tell me the bug, so I can fix it and we can close this story. Someone else fixing a bug is considered original work. Plus I'm probably a better coder and my fix will be awesome.

  2. Releasing the fixes won't make it less abandoned by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I'm assuming the project hasn't been updated for several years for it to be in "abandoned" status.

    Honestly, why do you think your fixes would ever go anywhere and be incorporated into the project? Projects look like code, but in reality consist of people. Without the people, why does it even matter?

    If there's a community of people who still use the code, describe your bug fixes to those people and they can fix them independently of you. If there isn't even this, then who exactly is going to benefit from your fixes?