alt Hacker NewsI think this gets complicated when you have larger open source projects where contributors change over time. By taking over stewardship of something that people depend on you should have some obligation to not intentionally fuck those people over even if you are not paid for it.
This is also true to some extend when it's a project you started. I don't think you should e.g. be able to point to the typical liability disclaimer in free software licenses when you add features that intentionally harm your users.
> By taking over stewardship of something that people depend on you should have some obligation
No. If it's free and open source, all it says is what you can do with the code. There is no obligation towards the users whatsoever.
If you choose to depend on something, it's your problem. The professional way to do it is either to contractually make sure that the project doesn't "fuck you over" (using your words), or to make sure that you are able to fork the project if necessary.
If you base your business on the fact that someone will be working for you, for free, forever, then it's your problem.