Archive:Project fork

2003-10-30T22:04:17Z

80.14.148.83:

[[de:Fork]]

In [[Open Source|Open-Source]]/[[Free software|Free]] software, a '''project [[fork (disambiguation)|fork]]''' happens when a developer (or a group of them) takes code from a project and starts to develop independently of the rest. This [[schism]] can be caused because of different goals or personality clashes. Some see forks as a weakness in Open Source, but they can demonstrate the adaptability of the model. The relationship between the different teams can be cordial or very bitter.

In a fork situation, both parties inherit identical [[intellectual rights]] but typically only the larger group, or that containing the original [[software architecture|architect]], will retain the full original name and its associated [[social capital]]. Thus there is a reputation penalty associated with forking.

This can happen in closed-source software as well if the rights to the common code are shared, but this is rarer as usually there are strict rules about ownership of the code.

The expressions '''fork off''' and '''fork you''' are adaptations of the rude expressions "[[fuck off]]" and "[[fuck you]]" to invite others to fork rather than continue to interact with the main group.

==Examples==
*[[Enciclopedia Libre]] is a fork from the [[Spanish-language Wikipedia]] to evade possible advertising.
*[[Pretty Good Privacy]] was forked outside of the United States to free it from the restrictive laws on the exportation of cryptographic software.
*[[XEmacs]] was a fork from [[Emacs]] to support the proprietary Energize environment.
*The split of [[Berkeley Software Distribution|BSD]] from AT&T [[UNIX]]
*A closed-source example is the development of the [[NTFS]] filesystem by Microsoft based in previous work in [[HPFS]] that was left to [[IBM]]

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Archive:Project fork