I make open source software; for several years it was completely foss and it never managed to keep the lights on on its own. When we started adding paid features (still open, but not free), it didn’t go well with the community at all.
Folks would suggest all sorts of business models which always boiled down to “do make money from it, just not from me”.
As if the majority of you will ever donate to a FOSS dev. This is one of the reasons I went into open source hardware instead. At least you can’t easily copy a PCB, you have to build your own or buy mine. I’m not a corporation. I’m a dude living in the ghettos of Baltimore trying to do my hustle and live.
As if the majority of you will ever donate to a FOSS dev
Alt: proprietary software devs trying to live off their work as their primary income source while still allowing people to use their product for free
As an end-user I believe I am entitled to the freedom to use, modify, and share the software I use. If your business model is incompatible with my values I won’t support you, simple as. I don’t have any problem monetarily supporting developers but not if they disagree with my principles.
I’m pretty sure I’ve seen this exact argument made against ad-blockers, too.
If it spies on me, if it shows me ads, then it’s not free.
Yeah, I think a lot of the people who are against are the ones who don’t like the ad-removal model, because you are paying to remove ads on an app that uses a platform whose foundation is built against ads and tracking. The subscription model or one-time payment for life is fair IMO; people are free to support the dev (and please support the lemmy devs and instance admins too!). It’s the ads (and tracking that come with it) that’s kinda weird.
Most people who make FOSS full time that people interact with (Linux, Python, Git, Node.js etc) work at large tech companies where their work is being subsidized.
Solo devs don’t have that luxury, their income is directly tied to their product. They don’t have the same privileges.
It baffles me how much people get shit twisted again and again.
even if you buy their premium whatever, they’ll still give you ads and sponsored bullshit.
Nope. Bought ad free this morning, zero ads, zero trackers, zero crashes, battery drain is non-existent, and app is butter smooth. Sync is da balls.
I was referring to proprietary software and web based services in general
Things cost money.
Boo hoo really.
Free doesn’t mean gratis
do donate then ya twats
This is the way. Either by money or other types of contributions.
