Abstract
When a widely-used open source library suddenly changes its license, it can feel like the rug’s been pulled out from under your build pipeline. In this talk, we’ll look at how to deal with that kind of disruption—using MediatR’s recent shift to a commercial model as a timely example. We’ll explore several ways to adapt: deciding to just pay and move on, pinning to the last free version and hoping for the best, forking the code and taking maintenance into your own hands, trying out alternative libraries (some with reflection, others with shiny new source generators), or going full rogue and building your own from scratch. Along the way, we’ll dig into the trade-offs—effort, performance, long-term sanity—and give you a practical, no-panic framework for dealing with licensing surprises when they hit your stack.
Biography
Alan P. Barber is a Software Developer and Computer Scientist. Alan has been involved in software development professionally for two decades and as a hobbyist programmer going on more than 30 years. He currently works as a principle consultant for Improving where he works with clients to find solutions to their difficult problems. Since 2014 Alan has been on the board of The Central Ohio .Net Developers Group. He has several active OSS projects which he develops on the side. When not diving into cool new technology, Alan can be found spending time with his wife going out on the town for foodie adventures or playing with his kids.
Alan P. Barber
Software Developer, Computer Scientist, Scrum Master, & Crohn’s Disease Fighter
I specialize in Software Development with a focus on Architecture and Design.