3 ms·

They give away tons of free stuff. They've earned the right to ask for some $$$.

pyre 10y ago
I think the point was that they are asking for $$$ by having a "Free vs. Pro" business model (i.e. people pay $$$ for Pro), so where does the need for a Kickstarter campaign come from?
- sametmax 10y ago
  Because to have the free stuff, you need to dev it. To dev it, you need money to eat while you dev. So they ask money to live now, while they can code the free stuff.
  - williamle8300 10y ago
    Maybe they should treat it as a side project, and not as a job. When people treat open source projects as their day job everybody loses.
    - beardicus 10y ago
      > When people treat open source projects as their day job everybody loses. That's a new one. How does someone getting making a living while developing open source software mean "everybody loses"?
      - sametmax 10y ago
        Yeah I don't feel like I lose because of Torvald, Stallman and van Rossum...
        williamle8300 10y ago
        They have a "foundation" supporting their products. Before the foundation was conceived, it was started as a side project with no strings attached.
      - williamle8300 10y ago
        Because it causes burnout. You can't write open-source software as your primary day job well. There's too much risk. You can, however, do it as a function of your work for your employer. Almost all of today's viable FOSS started like this, because it provides the financial security and moral support you need to bring a FOSS to maturity.
  - pyre 10y ago
    When you have a "Free vs. Pro" model, you usually structure it so that the Free version is subsidized by the money from the Pro version. So I don't think it's outrageous to be confused by someone having such a model, and yet still needing a Kickstarter campaign. That's not to say there is something wrong with it. It just seems confusing at face value. I'm not really sure why the idea is such a foreign concept to the point where you need to insinuate that I think that Free software "falls from the sky" or some such nonsense.
    - detaro 10y ago
      And to get started with the Pro version, you need a pro product. How do you finance kickstarting this product?
williamle8300 10y ago
The only ROI you are entitled to when open-sourcing a project is advertising. It doesn't entitle you to ask for a handout.
- beardicus 10y ago
  > It doesn't entitle you to ask for a handout. Good thing they're selling a product then, not asking for a handout. And hey, as a bonus, they're releasing a fully refreshed set of icons for free! Your perspective on what open-source can/should be is utterly unrecognizable to me. I'm glad it seems like the majority of people are finally getting comfortable with the idea that you shouldn't have to choose between making a living and contributing to the open source ecosystem.

pyre 10y ago

I think the point was that they are asking for $$$ by having a "Free vs. Pro" business model (i.e. people pay $$$ for Pro), so where does the need for a Kickstarter campaign come from?

sametmax 10y ago
Because to have the free stuff, you need to dev it. To dev it, you need money to eat while you dev. So they ask money to live now, while they can code the free stuff.
- williamle8300 10y ago
  Maybe they should treat it as a side project, and not as a job. When people treat open source projects as their day job everybody loses.
  - beardicus 10y ago
    > When people treat open source projects as their day job everybody loses. That's a new one. How does someone getting making a living while developing open source software mean "everybody loses"?
    - sametmax 10y ago
      Yeah I don't feel like I lose because of Torvald, Stallman and van Rossum...
      - williamle8300 10y ago
        They have a "foundation" supporting their products. Before the foundation was conceived, it was started as a side project with no strings attached.
    - williamle8300 10y ago
      Because it causes burnout. You can't write open-source software as your primary day job well. There's too much risk. You can, however, do it as a function of your work for your employer. Almost all of today's viable FOSS started like this, because it provides the financial security and moral support you need to bring a FOSS to maturity.
- pyre 10y ago
  When you have a "Free vs. Pro" model, you usually structure it so that the Free version is subsidized by the money from the Pro version. So I don't think it's outrageous to be confused by someone having such a model, and yet still needing a Kickstarter campaign. That's not to say there is something wrong with it. It just seems confusing at face value. I'm not really sure why the idea is such a foreign concept to the point where you need to insinuate that I think that Free software "falls from the sky" or some such nonsense.
  - detaro 10y ago
    And to get started with the Pro version, you need a pro product. How do you finance kickstarting this product?

williamle8300 10y ago

The only ROI you are entitled to when open-sourcing a project is advertising. It doesn't entitle you to ask for a handout.

beardicus 10y ago
> It doesn't entitle you to ask for a handout. Good thing they're selling a product then, not asking for a handout. And hey, as a bonus, they're releasing a fully refreshed set of icons for free! Your perspective on what open-source can/should be is utterly unrecognizable to me. I'm glad it seems like the majority of people are finally getting comfortable with the idea that you shouldn't have to choose between making a living and contributing to the open source ecosystem.