Let’s take redis, pretending it’s AGPL.

Adding a new command to the source code: definitely a modification.

Adding a new feature to the redis client: also a modification.

Creating a class (RedisPlusClient) that inherits from its client and adds a feature: Maybe a modification? Feels modification-adjacent.

Building a microservice that uses the redis client and exposes the exact Redis API? I don’t know! Maybe? Feels like a technicality that it is “using a network call” so it doesn’t count.

The thing is, I don’t want to think about any of this. I want to build things. We have seen overwhelming evidence that for-profit companies give back to open source, both through contributions and open sourcing their own code.

Are these licenses limiting the actual impact of the projects in exchange for ideological purity? There is consistent feedback from engineers that this is the case.