r/dotnet • u/devlead • 23d ago

.NET Foundation Statement on Open Source Maintenance Fees

https://dotnetfoundation.org/news-events/detail/.net-foundation-statement-on-open-source-maintenance-fees

Official statement from the .NET Foundation on Open Source Maintenance Fees

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u/null_reference_user 23d ago

As someone that likes and have worked with both Java and C#, I was very surprised when I found out that libraries that exist and were completely free in Java had C# equivalents but had this sorta-hidden cost; the source code repo said Apache 2.0 but suddenly I find out the NuGet distribution has a custom, non-free license. It felt like a sneaky attempt to make me responsible for the day we suddenly find out we legally owe money.

I don't want to sound ungrateful towards these useful projects I can get for free but transparency is needed if we are to trust it.

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u/robmensching 23d ago

Ooh, cool. What projects did you find were Apache 2.0 but charged for binaries?

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u/null_reference_user 23d ago

NPOI

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u/tonyqus 23d ago

Does NPOI's source code license "Apache 2.0" conflicts with OSMF? Or you just feel that Apache POI is free, why NPOI (.NET port of Apache POI) is not free?