Ask HN: Is MongoDB still an open source company?
1. Community Open source is software of the community, by the community and for the community.For mongodb it appears open source is a distribution strategy - there is no community participation. Now that they have achieved widespread distribution they could care less about open source.
Rumour is rife that the company is actively suing partners who are using the term "mongo" in either the product name or the domain name. My sources tell me that the recent rename of MongoLab to Mlab is a direct result of a trademark infringement notice sent by mongodb. I hear the same narrative from multiple other "partners" of mongodb. How is this any way to build an OSS ecosystem? Why would an ISV or OSS developer build tools for mongodb only to be sued by mongodb when they start to make money? Imagine the havoc that would ensue if Linus decides to enforce trademarks or licensing for Linux?
2. Enterprise vs Community The feature differences between Enterprise and community versions of mongodb have started to get larger and larger with every release. Open source software does not mean "inferior" software or "crippled" software.
3. Controlled by a single company One of the original goals of open source is to prevent the control of a single company over the software we use. To me it looks like mongodb is a step backwards in this direction.
Mongodb "the product" has some very good things going for it but dissatisfaction with Mongodb "the company" is fairly widespread.
My prediction is that very soon there will be a high profile open source fork of mongodb driven by an Apache style board and community. For now the only fork I can find is "Percona server for MongoDB" which seems a better fit for the OSS model. I am going to switch to Percona till my long term prediction comes true.