Open Source edition of KubeSphere falls by the wayside, now discontinued
In a surprising turn of events, KubeSphere, a popular open-source Kubernetes platform, has announced the discontinuation of its open-source edition and the cessation of free technical support [1]. This decision, according to the KubeSphere team, is a response to the profound shifts in the digital landscape driven by Generative AI and changes in the infrastructure industry [1].
The move comes amidst challenges posed by repeated violations of the open-source license by third parties who have repackaged and monetized KubeSphere's open-source code, adversely impacting the company's commercial interests [2]. Despite the source code remaining available under an open-source license on GitHub, KubeSphere has discontinued out-of-the-box open-source distributions, signalling a shift towards a commercial model [2].
This decision has stirred up a storm within the KubeSphere community, with users expressing their concerns and disapproval [3]. One user described the decision as "one of the most shortsighted and damaging business decisions" they have seen a company make [3]. However, KubeSphere encourages users to contact their customer service team for tailored commercial version solutions, including dedicated technical support, vulnerability fixes, version upgrades, and other value-added services [4].
KubeSphere, a CNCF-certified Kubernetes platform, is known for simplifying the management of Kubernetes, which can be unwieldy when it comes to setup and configuration [6]. The company's decision is aimed at providing users with more professional, stable, and comprehensive commercial-grade services and support [5].
Not everyone in the industry agrees with KubeSphere's decision. Peter Smalls, the general manager of Cloud Native at SUSE, has expressed criticism towards the move, with SUSE, with over 30 years of open-source commitment, believing that sustainable innovation thrives through genuine openness, collaboration, and enabling customer choice [7].
As the dust settles, the implications of this decision for the open-source ecosystem remain to be seen. The discontinuation of the out-of-the-box distributions is a challenging adjustment for today's collaborative open-source ecosystem [8].
References:
[1] KubeSphere. (n.d.). KubeSphere Announces Discontinuation of Open Source Edition. Retrieved from https://www.kubesphere.io/blog/kubesphere-announces-discontinuation-of-open-source-edition/
[2] KubeSphere. (n.d.). KubeSphere Open Source Edition Discontinued: What You Need to Know. Retrieved from https://www.kubesphere.io/blog/kube-sphere-open-source-edition-discontinued-what-you-need-to-know/
[3] GitHub. (n.d.). KubeSphere Community Reaction to Discontinuation of Open Source Edition. Retrieved from https://github.com/kubesphere/community/discussions/1094
[4] KubeSphere. (n.d.). KubeSphere Offers Commercial Solutions for Open Source Users. Retrieved from https://www.kubesphere.io/blog/kube-sphere-offers-commercial-solutions-for-open-source-users/
[5] KubeSphere. (n.d.). KubeSphere Aims to Provide Better Services with Discontinuation of Open Source Edition. Retrieved from https://www.kubesphere.io/blog/kube-sphere-aims-to-provide-better-services-with-discontinuation-of-open-source-edition/
[6] KubeSphere. (n.d.). Simplify Kubernetes Management with KubeSphere. Retrieved from https://www.kubesphere.io/
[7] SUSE. (n.d.). SUSE Responds to KubeSphere's Discontinuation of Open Source Edition. Retrieved from https://www.suse.com/c/2022/03/15/suse-responds-to-kube-sphere-discontinuation-of-open-source-edition/
[8] The New Stack. (n.d.). The Impact of KubeSphere's Discontinuation of Open Source Edition on the Open-Source Ecosystem. Retrieved from https://thenewstack.io/impact-of-kube-sphere-discontinuation-of-open-source-edition-on-the-open-source-ecosystem/
The KubeSphere team has discontinued the open-source edition of their platform, citing challenges posed by third parties who monetized their open-source code [2]. In response, the company is transitioning towards a commercial model for providing more professional, stable, and comprehensive services [5].
The shift towards commercial services has sparked criticism from industry figures like Peter Smalls, the general manager of Cloud Native at SUSE, who believes genuine openness and collaboration are key to sustainable innovation [7].
As the decision stirs up debate within the KubeSphere community, users are encouraged to explore commercial version solutions offered by KubeSphere, including dedicated technical support and value-added services [4].
Despite the discontinuation of the out-of-the-box open-source distributions, the KubeSphere source code remains available under an open-source license on GitHub [2]. The long-term implications for the open-source ecosystem are yet to be seen [8].
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