branchwater is under the AGPL, sourmash is under the BSD 3-Clause. What does this mean?

[ctb]

Over on this blog post, Nathan Brown asks:

If a user uses branchwater unmodified, but simply incorporates it into a larger workflow, does AGPL require that the larger context in which the unmodified branchwater code is used needs to be published?

Our understanding and intent is no, users of the branchwater plugin only need to release modifications to the branchwater plugin's codebase.

In particular, as long as the branchwater plugin is used unmodified via the command line interface, no software release is needed or expected (by our understanding).

Of course, you should consult with your own legal counsel.

Over time we expect to add much of the functionality from branchwater into sourmash proper, in which case that functionality will be available under the BSD 3-clause license. So if you are at all worried you can just wait ;). We can also discuss how to expedite this work; at this point it is technically straightforward and we are mostly limited by person power!

Some helpful resources on much larger codebases that use AGPL:

• https://opensource.stackexchange.com/questions/8025/difference-between-mongodb-sspl-and-gnu-agpl
• https://support.posit.co/hc/en-us/articles/217801078-What-license-is-the-RStudio-IDE-available-under
• https://www.elastic.co/pricing/faq/licensing