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NCBI Datasets is a new resource that lets you easily gather data from across NCBI databases.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/datasets
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Unable to locate the source code #345

Closed ialbert closed 7 months ago

ialbert commented 7 months ago

I may have misread the page, but I could not locate the tool's source code.

From the binary, it seems to be written in Go.

Is this tool a closed-source software?

ialbert commented 7 months ago

moved it to a discussion.

ialbert commented 7 months ago

https://github.com/ncbi/datasets/discussions/346

olearyna commented 7 months ago

Hi ialbert,

The tool isn't closed-source; we simply haven't made it publicly available yet. We do intend to release it, though we don't have a fixed timeline for this yet. And yes, it's developed in Go. You can build your own client library in any language using the NCBI Datasets OpenAPI 3.0 specification. You can find more information here: NCBI Datasets API Documentation.

Nuala

Nuala A. O'Leary, PhD Product Owner, NCBI Datasets National Center for Biotechnology Information, NLM, NIH, DHHS

ialbert commented 7 months ago

It is incorrect to claim that software is open source when it is unavailable. It makes no sense to say that it is open source, but we simply chose not to show you the code.

One of the essential ingredients of open source is that the source code is visible to the public.

Basically, what I think you are saying here is that you intend to release the code as open-source software at some point (in the future), but there is no timeline, and in the meantime, the software is closed source as of yet.

Your licensing is really odd, actually; it does not follow the standards that scientists use and, as such, sets the wrong example.

It lacks transparency, it does not allow others to build upon it, it does not promote learning etc.

I believe that you are not following the rules when publishing closed-source software. As a taxpayer-funded organization, you are (or should be) obligated to produce source code. I am surprised it is I who have to tell you that.