What is Mortalware? Software with a date its ownership dies

Why this shape exists

Most commercial software is a treadmill: buy today, buy an update, buy the next major version, or subscribe forever. Mortalware acknowledges that the value the maker adds — new features, active development — is finite and time-boxed, and that the software eventually should belong to the people who use it. The date is fixed in advance and written into the license.

Elba as an example

Elba's license names 1 January 2030 as the mortality date. The price falls every year until then. On that date, the source code is public and the last paid version is free. Nothing about that is contingent on the company still existing — it is a property of the file you already own.

Questions people actually ask

Is this the same as open source?

Not until the mortality date. Before it, the source is inspectable in the file but is not licensed for redistribution. After it, standard OSI-style open source.

Why not just make it open source now?

Because paying the makers between now and 2030 is what buys their attention. The date is the deal.