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xyOps Longevity Pledge

This document describes the long-term commitments that PixlCore LLC and I, Joseph Huckaby, make regarding the stewardship, licensing, and future of the xyOps project. It supplements, but does not replace, the legal terms defined in the LICENSE file. Your actual enforceable rights come from that license; this pledge explains the principles we commit to follow as maintainers.

1. Licensing & Openness

xyOps is and will remain released under an OSI-approved open-source license. We commit that:

  • xyOps will not be superseded by a proprietary fork that has a different or more advanced feature set.
  • The open-source version of xyOps will continue to receive ongoing development, security fixes, and enhancements.
  • No relicensing will occur that removes rights already granted under previous releases.

Once released, versions under an open-source license cannot be revoked. Users will always be able to fork, modify, and redistribute xyOps under the terms of that license.

2. No Feature-Restricted Editions

We will not create a "premium," "enterprise-only," or otherwise feature-restricted edition of xyOps that reduces the capability of the open-source version.

Commercial offerings, such as hosted services, support plans, integrations, or optional convenience tooling, may exist, but they will not contain core xyOps features that are unavailable to the community edition. The open source xyOps project will remain fully functional and complete.

3. No Hidden or Undocumented Functionality

xyOps will not include hidden enterprise flags, private APIs, or closed-source modules. All functionality shipping with xyOps will be part of the public codebase. Any paid services will exist outside the core xyOps repository.

4. Continuity Through Ownership Changes

If PixlCore LLC is ever acquired, merged, or transitions ownership, our intent is that:

  • xyOps will remain open source under an OSI-approved license.
  • The acquiring party will be publicly informed that continued open-source stewardship is an expected condition of the project.
  • Any planned changes to xyOps governance, licensing, or openness will be communicated transparently to the community prior to taking effect.

This pledge itself is not a contract, but we commit to treating it as an ethical and operational guideline in any future business transactions.

5. Dependency Licensing

We will make every reasonable effort to ensure that all software dependencies used by xyOps have licenses compatible with xyOps's open-source license.

If any dependency changes its license in a way that is incompatible or concerning, we will:

  • version-lock the last compatible release, and
  • begin evaluating or developing a replacement.

6. Stewardship, Transparency & Bus-Factor Reduction

To ensure xyOps remains sustainable and viable long-term:

  • The project is fully open-source, with complete commit history and issue tracking publicly available.
  • Releases are tagged and permanent, allowing anyone to fork or maintain independent versions.
  • The project will be periodically submitted to independent archival services (e.g., Software Heritage Foundation) to ensure permanent public availability.
  • We intend, over time, to move toward a governance model that includes additional maintainers beyond the original author, to distribute responsibility and reduce single-maintainer risk.

The goal is that xyOps remains usable, buildable, and maintainable even if PixlCore or I were no longer able to develop it.

7. Commitment to Transparency

If our intentions, direction, commercial strategy, or governance approach ever change in ways that materially affect the community, we will communicate those changes openly. Surprises, sudden pivots, and unilateral rug-pulls are incompatible with the purpose of this pledge.

You are encouraged to fork the project if you ever feel that xyOps has drifted away from its stated principles. This is a fundamental right preserved by the open-source license itself.

8. Archival & Preservation

To support long-term continuity:

  • xyOps source code and documentation will be mirrored to independent archival services such as Software Heritage.
  • Official releases will remain available indefinitely.

These archives ensure xyOps survives beyond any single company, repository, or platform.

9. Identity & Accountability

This pledge is issued by:

  • Joseph Huckaby
  • Founder, PixlCore LLC
  • GPG Key Fingerprint: 3F74 C09B 4E73 D69A 93C3 723A 9DC6 51BD 8A8E 13F9

By attaching my real identity to this project, I acknowledge the reputational stakes involved. The integrity of xyOps, and the trust of its users, is central to its success.

10. Important Note

This pledge is not a legal contract, and does not confer additional legal rights beyond those granted by the LICENSE. Instead, it documents the principles and commitments that guide the long-term stewardship of xyOps. You should rely on the open-source license for enforceable guarantees, and view this pledge as a transparent statement of intent and philosophy.

If you have questions, concerns, or suggestions for improving this pledge, please open a GitHub Issue so the discussion can happen publicly and benefit the entire community.