[blog] Changing Tart License (#414)

* [blog] Changing Tart Licence

* Fixed typo

.cirrus.yml

@@ -99,7 +99,8 @@ task:
   name: Deploy Documentation
   only_if: $CIRRUS_BRANCH == 'main'
   container:
-    image: ghcr.io/squidfunk/mkdocs-material:latest
+    image: ghcr.io/cirruslabs/mkdocs-material-insiders:latest
+    registry_config: ENCRYPTED[!cf1a0f25325aa75bad3ce6ebc890bc53eb0044c02efa70d8cefb83ba9766275a994b4831706c52630a0692b2fa9cfb9e!]
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   deploy_script: 

docs/blog/.authors.yml

@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+edigaryev:
+  name: Nikolay Edigaryev
+  description: Creator
+  avatar: https://github.com/edigaryev.png
+fkorotkov:
+  name: Fedor Korotkov
+  description: Creator
+  avatar: https://github.com/fkorotkov.png

docs/blog/index.md

@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+# Blog

docs/blog/posts/2023-02-11-changing-tart-license.md

@@ -0,0 +1,79 @@
+---
+draft: false
+date: 2023-02-11
+search:
+  exclude: true
+authors:
+  - fkorotkov
+categories:
+  - announcement
+---
+
+# Changing Tart License
+
+**TLDR:** We are transitioning Tart's licensing from AGPL-3.0 to [Fair Source 100](https://fair.io/). This change will
+permit unlimited installations on personal computers, but organizations that exceed a certain number of server
+installations utilizing 100 CPU cores will be required to obtain a paid sponsorship.
+
+## Background
+
+Exactly a year ago on February 11th 2022 we started working on Tart – a tiny CLI to run macOS virtual machines on Apple Silicon.
+Three months later we successfully started using Tart in our own production system and decided to share Tart with everyone.
+
+<img src="https://github.com/cirruslabs/tart/raw/main/Resources/TartSocial.png"/>
+
+The goal was to establish a community of users and contributors to transform Tart from a small CLI to a robust tool
+for various scenarios. **Unfortunately, we were not successful in attracting a significant number of contributors.**
+It's important to note that we did have seven individuals who contributed to the development of Tart to the best of
+their abilities. However, one of the challenges of contributing to Tart is that the skill set required for a contribution
+is vastly different from the skill set typically possessed by regular Tart users in their daily work. Specifically,
+a contributor needs to have knowledge of the Swift programming language, as well as a background in operating systems
+and network stack. This is the reason why **98.8% of the code and all the major features were contributed by Cirrus Labs engineers.**
+
+<!-- more -->
+
+Tart is experiencing significant success among users and has seen widespread adoption for various applications.
+The latest macOS Ventura virtual machine image has been downloaded over 27,000 times! We are continually receiving
+feedback from an increasing number of users who are utilizing Tart in ways we had not initially anticipated. However,
+with a growing user base comes a rise in requests for new features and enhancements. It can be challenging to justify
+dedicating our engineering resources to meeting these demands when they do not align with the needs of our company, Cirrus Labs.
+As a small, self-funded organization, our priority is to provide for our employees and their families along with developing great products.
+
+In addition, the **decision to use AGPL-3.0 as the license for Tart was not thoroughly considered at the time of its release.**
+The choice was made because many companies that were commercializing their products had recently switched to the AGPL license.
+However, AGPL has a reputation for being viral, open to interpretation, and not in line with current standards. Additionally,
+many organizations have policies against using any AGPL-licensed software in their stacks, which has limited Tart's potential
+for wider adoption. See [Google's AGPL policy](https://opensource.google/documentation/reference/using/agpl-policy), for example.
+
+In order to ensure Tart's long-term viability and to allow us to allocate engineering resources towards further improving Tart,
+we plan to transition to a licensing model that includes a nominal fee for companies that reach a substantial level of usage.
+
+## What is changing
+
+In the near future, we are set to launch the first version of Orchard for Tart, a tool that facilitates the coordination
+of Tart virtual machines on a cluster of Apple Silicon servers. Concurrently, we will also release version 1.0.0 of Tart,
+which will establish a stable API and offer long-term support under a new Fair Source 100 license.
+
+The Fair Source 100 license for Tart means that once a certain threshold of server installations utilizing 100 CPU cores
+is exceeded, a paid sponsorship will be required. A "server installation" refers to the installation of Tart on a physical
+device without a physical display connected. For example, a Mac Mini with a HDMI Dummy Plug is considered a server,
+but a Mac Mini on a desk with a connected physical display is considered a personal computer. **Usage on personal computers
+and before reaching the 100 CPU cores limit is royalty-free and does not have the viral properties of AGPL.**
+
+When an organization surpasses the 100 CPU cores limit, they will be required to obtain a [Gold Sponsorship](https://buy.stripe.com/8wM7wg3Osfu17S08wz),
+which costs \$1000 per month. Upon reaching a limit of 500 CPU cores, a [Platinum Sponsorship](https://buy.stripe.com/8wMaIsfxa95D7S0004)
+(\$5000 per month) will be required, and for organizations that exceed 5000 CPU cores, a custom [Diamond Sponsorship](mailto:sales@cirruslabs.org)
+(\$1 per core per month) will be necessary. **All sponsorships will include priority feature development and SLAs on support with urgent issues.**
+
+## Have we considered alternatives?
+
+We have evaluated other options. Initially, we reached out to some of our largest users and asked them to consider
+sponsoring the development of features that they were interested in. However, we received no response or were eventually
+ignored. Another option we considered was using the open core model and developing enterprise-specific features. However,
+this approach is not addressing concerns related to the viral nature of AGPL for non-enterprise users. Ultimately,
+we concluded that transitioning to a source-available model with a mandatory paid licensing is fair, as the licensing fees
+are relatively insignificant for companies that reach a significant level of usage.
+
+If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to [licensing@cirruslabs.org](mailto:licensing@cirruslabs.org).
+If the new licensing model is not suitable for your organization, you are welcome to continue using the AGPL version of Tart,
+but please ensure it is not used in a non-AGPL environment.

docs/theme/overrides/home.html

@@ -1,5 +1,11 @@
 {% extends "base.html" %}
 
+{% block announce %}
+<a href="/blog/2023/02/11/changing-tart-licence/">
+  🎉🎉🎉 Tart is approaching <i>1.0.0</i> and it will be release under a new license! ☝️☝️☝️
+</a>
+{% endblock %}
+
 <!-- Render landing page under tabs -->
 {% block tabs %} {{ super() }}
 

mkdocs.yml

@@ -35,12 +35,13 @@ theme:
     - navigation.top
     - search.suggest
     - toc.follow
-      
+
 extra_css:
   - 'stylesheets/extra.css'
   - 'stylesheets/landing.css'
 
 plugins:
+  - blog
   - social
   - search
   - minify
@@ -84,6 +85,8 @@ nav:
   - "Self-hosted CI": cirrus-cli.md
   - "Managing VMs": vm-management.md
   - "FAQ": faq.md
+  - Blog:
+      - blog/index.md
 
 extra:
   analytics: