Open Source all code generated using DAO funds

by 0x153b2252eddcb3690ae6f5e9f38be13779e1364d (REDACTED)

Linked Pre-Proposal

Should all code generated using DAO funds be open source?

Summary

The governance proposal outlines the specifics of making open-sourcing a prerequisite for grant approval and designating the Decentraland DAO public GitHub repository for code storage.

Abstract

This proposal advocates for a significant shift in the approach of this DAO for its Grants Program by requiring that all projects funded through DAO resources make their code open source.

Motivation

Decentraland DAO Grants Program has already allocated $13,272,124.00 to different projects since its creation. As of the beginning of 2023 (https://decentraland.org/governance/proposal/?id=77475620-7b74-11ed-ad27-015f26e7c35c) open-sourcing the code was made a requirement for the Platform category. Prior to 2023 and up till today, across all other categories, only a limited number of projects were open source and/or accessible to the community, with some of them even quitting and not creating value for the environment.

To avoid that happening, it has become evident that there is a clear need to mandate that all grant recipients publish their project code in a manner that is accessible to every creator seeking to build, advance, and enhance their projects and the platform as a whole. The barriers to entry are already too high for new creators; open-sourcing and maintaining a public repository will help to make it easier for new creators to be onboarded and for existing projects to enhance their performance and content.

All code produced with DAO funds should start being considered in terms of ‘public goods’ from now on, promoting the idea of collaboration and the ethos of decentralization of the project, fostering the modular growth of the ecosystem.

Specification

• From the date of approval of this governance proposal, all projects seeking funds from the DAO must commit to open-sourcing their code as a mandatory condition.

• All code generated using DAO funds must be hosted in the Decentraland DAO public GitHub repository (https://github.com/decentraland-dao), which will be overseen by the Grant Support Squad.

• Failure to open source code or maintain the GitHub repository up-to-date may result in an immediate pause and potential revocation of a grant.

• GitHub repository set up as part of the onboarding process.

Conclusion

This proposal marks a significant step towards transparency, collaboration, and value-driven development within the DAO Grants program. Open-sourcing of code will promote a more accessible and inclusive environment for creators while embracing the ethos of decentralization.

This proposal is summarized due to technical limitations. To view it complete and vote on it, visit the DCL DAO Governance dApp