this post was submitted on 15 Jul 2026
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Hello everyone.

I'm developing an open-source visual novel engine. And I'm struggling to choose between the two licenses: MIT and BSD 3-Clause. I wasn't much about licenses until this moment, so I have to ask someone else. Which one should I pick and why, if someone knows?

Thank you in advance.

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[–] whatiswrongwithyou@lemmy.ml 18 points 1 month ago (10 children)

The point of different licenses is the thing you ought to be looking at.

The point of mit is to get the licensed thing used as widely as possible. It breaks down any barriers to use. A good example of something that should be mit licensed is an encryption algorithm. A good example of something that shouldn’t be mit licensed is anything else.

The point of bsd3-clause is to prevent the licensed likeness from being used to imply the creator shares some view or idea. A good example of something that should be bsd3-clause licensed is the royalty free music on youtube. A good example of something that shouldn’t be bsd3-clause licensed is a creative work the author wants to have their name known for.

The point of the various gpl licenses is to create a digital commons that all people can access. A good example of something that ought to be gpl licensed is a game engine you want people to be able to freely use and modify but never make secret changes to sell. A good example of something that shouldn’t be gpl is a game engine you want to eventually sell the code of or make secret changes and sell the code of those.

If my language sounds biased, it is because I have a bias.

[–] ArsFireside@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 1 month ago (5 children)

That's a good explanation, thank you for teaching me.

[–] victorz@lemmy.world 5 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Your openness and willingness to learn here is admirable. People are very opinionated about these things sometimes, and you are listening in a constructive and diplomatic way.

Kudos to you for being that type of person. 🤝🫶 You were brought up well. 😉

[–] ArsFireside@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I'm glad you appreciate it! This made my day!

[–] victorz@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago

You having your day made, made my day. 😁

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