https://pketh.org/open-sourcing-kinopio.html

 
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Jun '24 Making the Kinopio Source Code Public  
kinopio
 
engineering

On the eve of it's 5th anniversary, I've decided to make the code for
the kinopio-client app public. That means you can run Kinopio on your
own computer, make changes, and share improvements.

# kinopio-client on github

kinopio-client is the app that's downloaded and run in your browser
when you go to https://kinopio.club. It can save data locally, and to
the kinopio-server.

Because the app weighs only ~220kb, in an alternate dimension where
we didn't have the Internet but had html, I'd ship kinopio to you on
a single floppy disk. It wouldn't even need to be high-density.

To be honest, opening up 5 years of private code does feel a bit
intimate, like inviting someone over. I've cleaned the dishes and
swept up, but ... don't look in that closest.

That said, compared to other commercial codebases, you might find it
refreshingly straightforward. It's just a node.js app and here's the
entire install process:

git clone https://github.com/pketh/kinopio-client.git
cd kinopio-client
npm install
npm install -g @vue/cli
npm install -g hostile
hostile set localhost kinopio.local

Then create an .env.local file containing VITE_PROD_SERVER=true.

And to run it:

npm run serve
https://kinopio.local:8080

Why Make Commercial app code public?

I've long been thinking about how to share the amount of work that
goes into Kinopio. The more you know how something is made, the more
you appreciate it - even more so when it's a quality product built to
last a lifetime.

But at the same time, making software isn't like carving fountain
pens or acoustic guitars. As much as I would like to sometimes, I
don't toil in meditative isolation until I'm ready to deliver the
perfect timeless objet d'art.

[sculptor] Not my life (Source)

By contrast, delivering software is more like delivering a gooey
crying baby. It's alive. Squirming, growing, and changing because the
technologies it relies on do too. Physical materials rarely change,
but web browsers, operating systems, and servers sure do.

The big benefit of public code for me is that it's another way to
share the work that goes into Kinopio. One more piece of the puzzle,
in between diagnosing bug reports, discussing feature requests, and
sharing updates on social media.

Some kind souls might contribute changes. But because Kinopio is such
a complex interface-based app, I have no idea yet how often that'll
happen.

Risks?

Sharing the code for paid software carries some potential risks worth
considering,

 1. A counterfeiter could theoretically use the code to make a clone
    product. Commercial derivatives are prohibited by the license,
    but even if they ignore that, the forger would still have to
    reverse engineer their own kinopio-server. It'd be way easier to
    use an off-the-shelf infinite canvas library or tldraw instead.

 2. Code contributions are appreciated, but having too many PRs to
    review can be very stressful. On paper, Kinopio is a one person
    operation, but I'm not really alone because I've got a community
    of users I trust that moderate discussions and answer questions
    when I'm not able to. As always, I'll be relying on their help
    and generosity.

What Happens Next?

If you are interested in contributing, please by sure to read the
contributor docs first. And just like in the discord and forums,
there's only one rule:

    We're all friends here, so let's be cool, constructive, and
    always treat each other with respect.

[journey] Hiro Isono

Compared to a library or CLI tool, where new features and more
options don't really complicate basic usage, what the 'correct' thing
to do for a GUI application is far fuzzier and subjective.

I'm looking forward to seeing what kind of activity takes place in
the repo. Will I spend more time reviewing and less time coding?
Maybe I'll stream some live coding sessions?

With loving scrutiny,

- Pirijan, Kinopio Creator

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