Recently MongoDB released it's 4.0 release. I updated my development VM and when I connected to it, I saw something that REALLY caught my attention.

Enable MongoDB’s free cloud-based monitoring service to collect and display

metrics about your deployment (disk utilization, CPU, operation statistics,

etc). The monitoring data will be available on a MongoDB website with a unique

URL created for you. Anyone you share the URL with will also be able to

view this page. MongoDB may use this information to make product

improvements and to suggest MongoDB products and deployment options to you. To enable free monitoring, run the following command:

db.enableFreeMonitoring()

First of all, that's quite some text for a regular terminal with just 80 lines to work with. Second, why does this feature in special is pestering me to use it? I don't remember any other feature slapping me in the face in the 4 years I have been using mongo. Third, why does it tell me about it every single time I connect to the db? Without the courtesy of even telling me how to remove this advertisement, mind you. And fourth, why the hell my free software is packaged with a hard-coded address to connect to a proprietary 3rd party service that will invade my privacy?

Well, since the fine folks at MongoDB decided to treat their users like idiots and just avoided the questions let me answer them for you, in case you didn't figure it out yet. Some pointy-haired boss decided to add this proprietary service, which, of course, is entirely in their right. But investing in advertisement is just too much of a hassle, ain't it, mate? So why not embed an advertisement on the software itself? But of course, let's add some contrived and inconvenient way to turn it off, just so we can play dumb and say nothing it's being forced on users. After all it's FREE! Which isn't, it's proprietary. No one cares how much money you have to pay to be screwed. But of course, said pointy-haired boss is an inbred mouth-breather who doesn't know the first thing about free software.

So here we have it, a huge red flag that might signal a future fork of MongoDB, because nothing kills software faster than corporate greed abusing the good will of their users. Just like Node.js, sometimes corporations just don't realize what really matters and who actually have the power when it comes to software. In case you are reading it, I'd like to remember that your software is more important than your company and your community is more powerful than you. The moment enough people think you are not worthy, you lose everything.