5 ms·
Linux users expect not to be locked-in and controlled. Perhaps if vendors tried different revenue models, such as sponsoring new features or charging for suppor
by willtim 9y ago
Linux users expect not to be locked-in and controlled. Perhaps if vendors tried different revenue models, such as sponsoring new features or charging for support/bug fixes. Over the last few years I have spent several hundred dollars in donations to free (libre) software. We are not all cheapskates :)
- maxxxxx 9y ago"We are not all cheapskates :)" Most are though.
- pjmlp 9y agoHardly anyone can live from donations or bounties. Try to get a mortage, pay a monthly rent, pay the kids school,.... just with donations. One needs a regular source of income. Desktop users are usually not keen to pay for consulting, trainigs or documentation. Rather just paying once. Vendors that have pushed for web solutions get a constant revenue, but that solution makes the desktop irrelevant thus regular users see no benefit in running e.g. Chrome in other OS that wasn't already installed on the hardware that they bought. Additionally such hardware is as proprietary as it ever was, even if built with a FOSS stack, as no one gets the sauce running on the server.
- willtim 9y agoI didn't actually suggest donations was a lucrative revenue model. Support could be though, for example, RedHat is a billion dollar business.