Do you mean I could install this software on a box physically located in a building owned by my employer, but not on a virtual host?
I think you are trying to mean not that. Like, if I install it myself, it's okay, but if the "cloud vendor" installs it for me, that violates the license?
I think I understand the sorts of entities you have in mind to allow or not allow; I'm not sure it's clear how you'd write a license like that.
"The cloud" is in the end just hardware somewhere else. I think you are maybe fantasizing about a license that would be more about _what sorts of businesses_ are allowed to use it, than it is about _how_ it's run. The OSI open source definition does not allow licenses that "restrict anyone from making use of the program in a specific field of endeavor. For example, it may not restrict the program from being used in a business, or from being used for genetic research." You could think that's an inappropriate restriction I guess. https://opensource.org/osd-annotated
It would just need to prohibit usage by the 3 major cloud monopolies, using any language that just applies to all 3 of them, e.g. a commercial license is required if earning over $1 Billion total from hosting Services.
It could also prohibit any commercial cloud hosting without written permission, for which it's automatically granted to every company that isn't Amazon, Microsoft or Alphabet.
I think you are trying to mean not that. Like, if I install it myself, it's okay, but if the "cloud vendor" installs it for me, that violates the license?
I think I understand the sorts of entities you have in mind to allow or not allow; I'm not sure it's clear how you'd write a license like that.
"The cloud" is in the end just hardware somewhere else. I think you are maybe fantasizing about a license that would be more about _what sorts of businesses_ are allowed to use it, than it is about _how_ it's run. The OSI open source definition does not allow licenses that "restrict anyone from making use of the program in a specific field of endeavor. For example, it may not restrict the program from being used in a business, or from being used for genetic research." You could think that's an inappropriate restriction I guess. https://opensource.org/osd-annotated