4 ms·
Well, some people want to make a living writing software. Which is fine. Taking your example: as an Emacs user since roughly 1993 I understand two things: a) no
by jwr 11y ago
Well, some people want to make a living writing software. Which is fine. Taking your example: as an Emacs user since roughly 1993 I understand two things: a) nobody makes a living developing Emacs, b) Emacs could use a lot more polish.
You can't make a living selling something once for $5 and never charging people again. It's just not sustainable.
- kstrauser 11y agoI totally get that, but on the other hand we don't owe them that living. When I negotiate salary, I don't present a would-be employer with a list of bills and a desired profit margin. Instead, I negotiate based on the going rate for the role I'll be filling. Software vendors similarly don't have the privilege of saying "we need $X per year, divided by Y expected licenses, so you guys need to pony up $X/Y+profit."