Computer Science 491/492
Senior Seminar

Dickinson College
Academic Year 2007/08
Andrew Townsend

Open Source Software and Backwards Compatibility

Reading Assignment

Discussion Questions

  1. Should software be free?
  2. Is there an unethical aspect to providing similar functionality for free that a commercial product provides?
  3. Should someone be able to sell open source software?
  4. Should an application that uses open source materials be open source itself?
  5. Should developers be morally obligated or at least inclined to maintain backwards compatibility? Compare and contrast using Kantianism, Act Utilitarianism, Rule Utilitarianism, and Social Contract Theory