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Wolfshappen ๐Ÿบ

So let me tell you about the Enshittification of Netdata and its fall from grace as it becomes mostly closed source.

If you just want to read the (most related) github thread github.com/coreinfrastructure/ ,
or see how they squeeze money from you in the future github.com/netdata/netdata/pul you're welcome, otherwise let me show you through my findings.

Please react with emoji on github if you want to let the openssf and co. know.

Anyway,

๐Ÿงต 1 / 10
#netdata #opensource

16 August at 15:53 | Open on fellies.social
11 comments
Wolfshappen ๐Ÿบ

So with netdata's humble beginnings in 2013, they made a simple cool tool - you load it on your machine and it starts showing you everything, with automatic alerts.
It is the least complicated way to get decent monitoring - and it is FAST. It is getting widespread homelab and private adoption.

But come 2023, Netdata is releasing a new UI - good, 10 years might be a good time to freshen up a bit - but it comes with a twist:

๐Ÿงต 2 / 10

16 August at 15:54 | Open on fellies.social
Wolfshappen ๐Ÿบ

The twist is that this "Netdata Cloud" (v2) UI is closed source, and full of nags to upgrade/login.
Not only that, its license github.com/netdata/netdata/blo forbids reverse engineering or customisation.
Why is that? Simple, they want to, in my opinion, start making money while obfuscating being closed source.

So it begins: the first new feature is a log shipper/remote viewer. What do you think you have to do to use it without it phoning home?

๐Ÿงต 3 / 10

The twist is that this "Netdata Cloud" (v2) UI is closed source, and full of nags to upgrade/login.
Not only that, its license github.com/netdata/netdata/blo forbids reverse engineering or customisation.
Why is that? Simple, they want to, in my opinion, start making money while obfuscating being closed source.

16 August at 15:54 | Open on fellies.social
Wolfshappen ๐Ÿบ

You cannot! Log in! Why is that? So they know who to contact to sell business licenses to (my guess).
The next feature, the remote connection viewer, is also subject to the same.

Netdata argues that this is for "security", but the whole thread github.com/netdata/netdata/dis is crystal clear: "If you want this, you have to be a paying business user".
(And even the $90/year homelab license does not allow standalone viewing of this afaict).

๐Ÿงต 4 / 10

You cannot! Log in! Why is that? So they know who to contact to sell business licenses to (my guess).
The next feature, the remote connection viewer, is also subject to the same.

Netdata argues that this is for "security", but the whole thread github.com/netdata/netdata/dis is crystal clear: "If you want this, you have to be a paying business user".
(And even the $90/year homelab license does not allow standalone viewing of this afaict).

16 August at 15:54 | Open on fellies.social
Wolfshappen ๐Ÿบ

While all this is happening, the Nix and Debian maintainers are approaching the project - while it is a headache for Debian to this day bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugrep, the Nix maintainers have quickly patched it.
However, because netdata (until recently and at my request) plastered "gpl" and "open source software" all over - other distros, like opensuse, fedora, ubuntu and co - failed to notice and shipped the closed source files.

๐Ÿงต 5 / 10

While all this is happening, the Nix and Debian maintainers are approaching the project - while it is a headache for Debian to this day bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugrep, the Nix maintainers have quickly patched it.
However, because netdata (until recently and at my request) plastered "gpl" and "open source software" all over - other distros, like opensuse, fedora, ubuntu and co - failed to notice and shipped the closed source files.

16 August at 15:55 | Open on fellies.social
Wolfshappen ๐Ÿบ

Users began to notice github.com/netdata/netdata/iss.
Including me seeing this crap happening.

Now, every distro i reported it to (except ubuntu, no response yet) has a fix in the works or ships a version without. Easy enough.

The !default! auto-loading of the closed source Dashboard from their cdn has been patched as well.

๐Ÿงต 6 / 10

16 August at 15:55 | Open on fellies.social
Wolfshappen ๐Ÿบ

However, I also notice that netdata is branded as a "CNCF" project - which must be fully open source.
As well as an "Open Source Best Practices" badge from the openssf project, with similar requirements.

So I report the new state to those orgs github.com/coreinfrastructure/.

๐Ÿงต 7 / 10

16 August at 15:55 | Open on fellies.social
Wolfshappen ๐Ÿบ

From the very beginning of that report, the project has now repeatedly claimed and lied about:
"We are transparent about the inclusion of the binary UI component" (They are not, hidden in the readme until my recent change request)
"Netdata fully complies with the GPL v3+ license" (It doesn't in any way that matters, the v2 blobs shipped are closed source. Atleast they switched to "netdata agent" now).
And of course they also have a CLA.

๐Ÿงต 8 / 10

From the very beginning of that report, the project has now repeatedly claimed and lied about:
"We are transparent about the inclusion of the binary UI component" (They are not, hidden in the readme until my recent change request)
"Netdata fully complies with the GPL v3+ license" (It doesn't in any way that matters, the v2 blobs shipped are closed source. Atleast they switched to "netdata agent" now).
And of course they also have a CLA.

16 August at 15:56 | Open on fellies.social
Wolfshappen ๐Ÿบ

And then tried to lecture on why the open source community really wants blobs and closed source and how it's all OK for Sustainability and how they're totally still open source.
A proposed fix for a previous bug was that they could just always load the closed code from their cdn, thats good right?

v0/v1 are getting removed: github.com/netdata/netdata/pul
Just look at those new juicy restrictions to squeeze money from users!
(this will make only the agent packageable for distros, if at all)

๐Ÿงต 9 / 10

And then tried to lecture on why the open source community really wants blobs and closed source and how it's all OK for Sustainability and how they're totally still open source.
A proposed fix for a previous bug was that they could just always load the closed code from their cdn, thats good right?

v0/v1 are getting removed: github.com/netdata/netdata/pul
Just look at those new juicy restrictions to squeeze money from users!
(this will make only the agent packageable for distros, if at all)

16 August at 15:56 | Open on fellies.social
Wolfshappen ๐Ÿบ

So in conclusion:
Dont use netdata anymore, if you like it fully open source.

Dont use netdata anymore, if you're interested in not being forced into a subscription model sooner or later.

Dont use netdata anymore, if you're interested in long-term availability of "the vibrant community" they claim on their homepage.

Dont give them your code under CLA.

And DUCK the Marketing Responses from them, and them trying to keep up the good looks of being open source while enshittifying.

So in conclusion:
Dont use netdata anymore, if you like it fully open source.

Dont use netdata anymore, if you're interested in not being forced into a subscription model sooner or later.

Dont use netdata anymore, if you're interested in long-term availability of "the vibrant community" they claim on their homepage.

16 August at 15:57 | Open on fellies.social
Wolfshappen ๐Ÿบ

You've made it this far, have a few bonus images where they lie about their "platform" being open source - remember, only the agent is, and they want to make you pay (with data, or money, subject to their terms) for viewing the data going forward:

A screenshot of the Netdata project on github, claiming to be the "open source observability platform everyone needs", despite locking their platform down into very limited and paid accounts soon.
A picture of the docker hub description of the netdata container reading "the open-source [...] monitoring" which claims to be open source while it ships closed source code right now.
A screenshot of the netdata website, which puts the claim for netdata of an active and vibrant open source community in contrast with "other commercial closed source software" as netdata is currently becoming closed source itself
16 August at 16:03 | Open on fellies.social
Wolfshappen ๐Ÿบ replied to Wolfshappen

All i can say after all this:

( Art by @JF049 on Telegram )

#xenia

A sticker of Xenia, the better linux mascot, with a sign infront reading "Absolutely Propreitary". Art by @JF049 on Telegram.
16 August at 16:30 | Open on fellies.social
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