Comment by bruce511
3 hours ago
You're not wrong, but the License used is critical here.
If the code is indeed Open Source, with an OSS license, then you can use it as-is, or just learn from it and write-your-own. You might even fold it as-is into your app. Keep the code, but remove the dependence.
Free Software on the other hand is a different animal. The GPL et al is viral. Doing any of the above with GPL software has consequences. Even learning and rewriting is risky- the rewrite better be more than just variable name changes.
If you're old school, and you want to share on a "do what you like, I'm not turning this into my day job" basis, where you want folk to actually benefit, yhen I recommend an OSS license over a Free license.
On the other hand if your target audience are other Free developers, then a Free license makes complete sense. And if you plan to commercialize your project down the road an aggressive Free license (like say AGPL) is a good choice.
Ultimately your choice of license should match your goals.
Free software licenses and open source licenses are almost the same set, and the difference between the two is not copyleft: the GPL is OSI-approved. The difference is in the spirit, focus, philosophy: free software is concerned about user rights.
And if you care about user rights, use a copyleft license to prevent someone from building a proprietary derivative, even if you are not turning it into your day job. Especially if you are not turning it into your day job, a copyfree license is more likely to atract corporate.