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What's your primary motive in making the app open source? Personally, I would open-source 90% of the app (for example, it's core functionality in console form),

What's your primary motive in making the app open source? Personally, I would open-source 90% of the app (for example, it's core functionality in console form), but still leave it so you still have to buy the GUI packaged version from the store or easily set up your own build environment. It would mean that a developer can easily run your app for free, fork and fix issues, but a typical user has to pay - so you retain your revenue source.

macappthrowaway 8y ago
Interesting question. I'd say there's several benefits that I see, and I'm not sure of their relative priorities. - Be able to develop in the open. Every problem I have (like for StackOverflow) requires me to fully extract an MCVE -- and half the time, extracting a feature causes the problem to go away, for no apparent reason. It would be a big help to be able to just say "with open-source project X, I tried doing Y, and it fails with Z". - Be able to use many of the online tools that are free for open source. - Let other people help, if they want (including porting to other OSs, which I will probably never have time to do well). - Let people use pieces of it in their own projects (like as libraries). - Longevity. Closed-source apps basically all die, eventually. It would be great to be able to give users confidence that it won't just disappear if I get hit by a bus tomorrow. I agree that the "open-source it, and keep a paid version in the app store" sounds very appealing, but my worry is that it only takes one developer to set up a build environment and compile it, to remove all of my revenue stream.