Comments on SPD-41 software licensing requirements

TL;DR

The paper discusses proposed changes to NASA's SPD-41 policy requiring open source licensing for SMD-funded software, highlighting ambiguities and the need for clearer guidelines to ensure effective implementation and community acceptance.

Contribution

It provides a critical analysis of SPD-41's licensing requirements, identifying ambiguities and suggesting clarifications for better policy enforcement and community engagement.

Findings

Ambiguities in allowed licenses could hinder implementation.

Clarifications needed on licensing exceptions.

Policy changes aim to promote open source adoption.

Abstract

The proposed changes to Science Missions Directorate (SMD) Policy Document 41 (SPD-41) include requirements that SMD-funded software should be released using a permissive software license and following best practices from the open source software community. This is a welcome change that will lead to greater acceptance and adoption of SMD-funded software. However, ambiguities exist in the policy text around what licenses will be allowed. This could lead to problems in the solicitation process and friction with the open source software community. Moreover, some additional clarifications are warranted around what exceptions might be allowed to the software licensing policy.