The World Runs 20b Instances of Curl. Where's the Support?
Key topics
The curl project's staggering 20 billion instances have sparked a lively debate about the ethics of open-source support, with some commenters arguing that users should respect the "use at your own risk" clause in OSS licenses, while others lament the lack of corporate gratitude. A notable dissenting voice pointed out that curl's massive community contribution – 1,400 authors and 30,500 helpers – suggests that support is, in fact, already there. As one commenter wryly noted, Apple's support page directing users to curl's resources is a "shining symbol of today's dystopian tech," highlighting the blurred lines between corporate and open-source responsibilities. The discussion reveals a consensus that human decency and reciprocity are essential in the open-source ecosystem.
Snapshot generated from the HN discussion
Discussion Activity
Moderate engagementFirst comment
4d
Peak period
9
84-96h
Avg / period
4.3
Based on 13 loaded comments
Key moments
- 01Story posted
Aug 27, 2025 at 12:01 PM EDT
4 months ago
Step 01 - 02First comment
Aug 31, 2025 at 12:41 AM EDT
4d after posting
Step 02 - 03Peak activity
9 comments in 84-96h
Hottest window of the conversation
Step 03 - 04Latest activity
Sep 2, 2025 at 10:48 AM EDT
4 months ago
Step 04
Generating AI Summary...
Analyzing up to 500 comments to identify key contributors and discussion patterns
Want the full context?
Jump to the original sources
Read the primary article or dive into the live Hacker News thread when you're ready.
I'm glad your own side projects have helped you find good work, but you're hardly in the same position as curl here.
The author of curl chose to give it away under an open source license. Yes it would be nice if more corporations with deep pockets that use it would donate money and resources, but there’s no legal or ethical obligation for them to do so.
If you want people to pay for your software license it accordingly.
Apparently, the support is there.