While visiting the Netherlands recently, my wife and I rented a car for a short driving tour: Texel, Groningen, Den Bosch, and, most importantly, Keukenhof. The roads in the Netherlands are outstanding; driving the Afsluitdijk, whose construction created a large fresh-water lake – polder – for agriculture and drinking water, is mind-blowing.
Our rental car was a 2025 BMW X1 hybrid, the first hybrid or EV I’ve driven. Imagine my surprise when I found the app Open Source Compliance.
Perhaps I shouldn’t be surprised, however I have multiple experiences of improperly attributed or unattributed solutions. Lack of correct attribution often indicates the organization doesn’t understand – or doesn’t care about – open source licenses. While working at a software shop, our lead attorney clearly stated that, as he wasn’t a technologist, it was not his responsibility to understand/interpret open source licenses. Excuse me, you are employed by a technology firm, correct? Have you ever heard the story of Linksys losing their intellectual property by not abiding by an open source license? WTF!
So kudos to BMW for incorporating open source software correctly. And to others? May you be caught with your pants down!
