this post was submitted on 12 Aug 2026

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Periphery as open source project is ended. (periphery.pro)

submitted 2 weeks ago by pylapp@programming.dev to c/programming@programming.dev

16 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Periphery, a famous and efficient tool to check dead code, moves from open source model to commercial model 😭

all 18 comments

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[–] Kissaki@programming.dev 13 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Periphery finds unused code in Swift projects so teams can stay focused

Small indie and hobby projects will be able to use Periphery for free, so too will open-source projects of any size. Larger projects developed by companies with the resources to purchase a license will benefit from a more capable tool. The first phase in this transition is an open beta. Everyone can obtain a free beta license with no restrictions on project size. The open beta doesn’t have an end date yet, but ample notice will be given when that date is determined.

[–] DornerStan@lemmygrad.ml 4 points 2 weeks ago

I have never used Periphery but this seems fine.

Open source is great as far as empowering individuals with the knowledge of what code their machines run, and opening avenues for collaboration among diverse programmers.

It's also been a highly productive commons-maker that for-profit corporations can freely extract value from, often turning around and using some of their profits to undermine the open source movement (not to mention supporting war crimes and whatnot).

Everyone deserves to be paid for their labor, but especially if it's being used in closed-source profit-generating software.

[–] Carighan@piefed.world 9 points 2 weeks ago

Yeah from the explanation I kinda feel for the dev, they gotta be inundated in PRs.

I suspect someone will continue working from the current codebase?

[–] eleijeep@piefed.social 2 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Was it really useful? Code coverage tools have existed for forever. Does Swift not have any FLOSS coverage tools like gcov?

[–] urushitan@kakera.kintsugi.moe 3 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Code coverage tools are generally specifically about test coverage, not which code actually gets executed or is unreachable. It makes sense in swift because code with tests would still report as being covered even if the actual UI that would ever run that code was removed. That’s what this tool looks for. Dead code, not untested code

[–] eleijeep@piefed.social -1 points 2 weeks ago

I know what the tool does, I read the webpage.

Code coverage tools are generally specifically about test coverage, not which code actually gets executed or is unreachable.

Code coverage tools are for whatever you want to use them for. Lots of people use them to measure test coverage, but you can also use them to measure code usage in production. There are a variety of different ways to instrument code of various different levels of invasiveness and performance impact. Even the Linux kernel has built in instrumentation for measuring code coverage (kcov).

[+] breadsmasher@lemmy.world -9 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

[removed by mod]

[–] squaresinger@lemmy.world 14 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

It is pretty standard, but the narrative is wrong. In reality it's more like this:

Build a little tool for yourself. It's small, it's simple. Someone else sees it and likes it, so you open-source it. People start using it, and it feels good. The hobby project starts consuming more and more time.

Companies start using it. Bug reports and feature requests pile up. Users who see themselves as customers without ever having paid a cent for it start to demand bugfixes and features. Toxic, entitled people kill the mood and the hobby project seriously isn't fun anymore.

Nobody contributes or donates, they just demand.

So now you got a choice: drop your hobby project or go professional.

What you are seeing in the OP or with Thunder REST is the second option: People going professional. Cause that means money is coming in, the main dev can quit their day job and maybe even hire some extra staff to deal with the workload and with pesky entitled users.

So to you now, breadsmasher: You seem to think that you are entitled to free updates for Thundar REST. I guess you contributed significant amounts of code to it or donated significant amounts of money to it?

You did do that, right?

You aren't just demanding other people to work for free for you, right?

Because if you did that, that would be seriously shitty of you. But I'm sure you aren't that kind of person, are you?

[+] tabular@lemmy.world -7 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

Without looking at the history all I can say your interpratation is possible. However, I reject the idea it's ""professional"" to close source a once open source project. I can certainly understand a simple project becoming untenable due to popularity and sympathize the need to make money but failing to respect user's software freedom points closer to their suggested motives.

[–] blartcap_@lemmy.dbzer0.com 9 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Professional just means getting paid.

[–] tabular@lemmy.world -1 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

If so then I reject the implication that you cannot get meaningfully paid without making an open source project closed source.

[–] vanillama@programming.dev 7 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

How do you suggest they get paid? There's a massive issue with most foss devs and maintainers being unpaid and burnt out while their work is used by corpos and more often than not they don't receive a dime

[–] squaresinger@lemmy.world 3 points 1 week ago

This here. FOSS as a dedicated concept exists since around 40 years and we still haven't figured out how to fund it.

The only meaningful way to fund FOSS is the Linux way: Coprorations use the FOSS in a way where they can't sell the software directly, instead, the software is used as infrastructure to make money another way.

Microsoft, Amazon, Oracle and so on, they make money by selling cloud compute running Linux. To do so, Linux needs to be really good, so they contribute developer time too the Linux kernel and to certain tools.

The same strategy works for programming frameworks, like Angular, which is being developed by Google, because Google uses it in tons of their products.

But this doesn't work for end customer software and it's basically impossible to get a "grassroots" developed piece of FOSS into the corporate mill.

[–] tabular@lemmy.world 1 points 1 week ago

You say most, so some have figured it out then?

I think a universal basic income would make it a lot easier for devs to choose to continue/start making free (libre) software. Depending on the country, a UBI funded by tech companies - including those corpos using it without giving back.

[–] squaresinger@lemmy.world 3 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Looks like you have never tried to monetize FOSS.

It's close to impossible. Look at heartbleed or the xz disaster. Two fundamental pieces of software used on billions of devices, neither of them made enough money for a single full-time dev.

And you are suggesting that one can make enough money from a FOSS REST client?

Look at breadsmasher's original comment. There's not a word in there about "betraying FOSS ideals", nor does it contain a complaint about "closing the source".

No, the whole comment is "Fuck Thunder REST because they want me to pay for features". Breadsmasher is a freeloader. He would never donate anything. He uses FOSS, not because he wants freedom as in free speech, nor does he use it because he wants to review or modify the source. He uses FOSS for the "free as in free beer" aspect.

And when someone says "Now please contribute to a project you've been using for free", he gets entitled and throws a fit like a two-year-old.

[–] tabular@lemmy.world 0 points 1 week ago

If you know where I could read about the monetary issues of xz and heartbeat I would appreciate such links.

You could be right about their ill motives for what they said but we do not know if they can even afford to pay or know enough to contribute. You could say my motives for software freedom are selfishly motivated, and I've only donated an OS. Given the numerous libre projects in our OS it's difficult for anyone to do them all?

It makes sense that it's more difficult to earn money from software when you attach a software freedom license - you're actively choosing to not take advantage of your users. Like choosing not to just dump mercury in the river when it's legal.

I enjoy writing code so not having the bad incentives from trying to monetize it seems a blessing - I don't feel compelled to deny user software freedom for profit. I think focus may be better placed on promoting a univeral basic income - where everyone's income doesn't start at 0. That would help devs choose to keep their projects open.