Layout logic is closed Source ?

[gedw99]

I read on the web site that Tala is closed source ? It’s the layout engine ?

on your web site:

https://d2lang.com/tour/future

“ 3] For now, this is closed-source. It's free to download and evaluate. To learn more, visit https://terrastruct.com/tala.
“

Thanks

I just want to check before I request teams to use d2, exactky what’s Open or not

[alixander]

Hi @gedw99 , yes, TALA is one of three current layout engines for D2. It's closed source. The other 2 layout engines are bundled in D2, while TALA is a separate install. There's a clean separation of open source D2 and closed source TALA.

[gedw99]

cool.

Can i ask what is the big deal with TATA that its closed ?

[waynr]

I came across this question while searching around trying to understand how d2 integrates with tala and whether or not it's possible to write one's own custom layout engine. I'm not personally a fan of running closed source software when I can avoid it (no more than you are I assume) but it seems obvious to me what the big deal is.

The big deal is that it's a better layout engine (see: us here instead of simply using one of the open source layout engines or another tool entirely) and they are leveraging that along with the fact the source is hidden to extract money from people who want to use it. That's how computer programmers earn a living. Sadly, I am an out of work computer programmer so I am avoiding paying for anything nonessential.