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The problem of open source is attribution, more specifically attribution back to individual contributors and the significance of contributions, and it is especi

The problem of open source is attribution, more specifically attribution back to individual contributors and the significance of contributions, and it is especially hard if you want to do attribution based on revenue performance if the licensee is small and do not have an audit department. A large proprietary software licensee can work with a licensor to track revenue performance because the licensee already have the right infrastructure to do so. So here is a startup idea: An external auditing company with APIs to streamline the process of rev share and attribution back to the open source community and contributors, so that open source projects will make revenue and have the resource to reinvest and improve the projects.

user5994461 8y ago
Receiving attributions doesn't pay the bills.
- walterbell 8y ago
  Crowdfunding sites have found ways to be compensated.
  - deleted 8y ago
    [deleted]
- irrational 8y ago
  I imagine most open source contributors have full time jobs. I have a full-time job that pays the bills so I don't need any kind of monetary reimbursement for my work on open-source projects. I just do it for the fun/challenge/scratch-an-itch/giving-back/etc.
  - watwut 8y ago
    Foss makes regular surveys. Most open source developers are paid.
  - coldtea 8y ago
    >I imagine most open source contributors have full time jobs Yes: writing open source for companies. Much fewer do it as a hobby, and those can't sustain large projects.
  - pjmlp 8y ago
    Outside work I rather spend time with family and friends. When I do something is just the outcome of dabbling in something as part of learn process, just contributing back some bug reports or minor fixes. Hence why I tend to pay for the software I use, either via donations, buying author's books, distribution CD/DVDs, or actually buying licenses. I believe that the authors from the tools I earn money with, should also get a piece of the cake.
- gerbilly 8y ago
  Attribution doesn't pay even for a hotdog, as seen here: http://theoatmeal.com/comics/exposure http://theoatmeal.com/comics/exposure
agibsonccc 8y ago
I'd argue it's actually the economics. End users both want everything for free expecting it to work perfectly as well as assurances that the project isn't going away while also somehow still wanting guarantees around release schedules. Those same people also endlessly complain to OSS maintainers about something they are getting for free and somehow expect the red carpet when it comes to feature requests. Attribution isn't the issue, it's balancing the need for building a community vs the financial incentives to actually support the people building the thing you're using.

user5994461 8y ago

Receiving attributions doesn't pay the bills.

walterbell 8y ago
Crowdfunding sites have found ways to be compensated.
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]
irrational 8y ago
I imagine most open source contributors have full time jobs. I have a full-time job that pays the bills so I don't need any kind of monetary reimbursement for my work on open-source projects. I just do it for the fun/challenge/scratch-an-itch/giving-back/etc.
- watwut 8y ago
  Foss makes regular surveys. Most open source developers are paid.
- coldtea 8y ago
  >I imagine most open source contributors have full time jobs Yes: writing open source for companies. Much fewer do it as a hobby, and those can't sustain large projects.
- pjmlp 8y ago
  Outside work I rather spend time with family and friends. When I do something is just the outcome of dabbling in something as part of learn process, just contributing back some bug reports or minor fixes. Hence why I tend to pay for the software I use, either via donations, buying author's books, distribution CD/DVDs, or actually buying licenses. I believe that the authors from the tools I earn money with, should also get a piece of the cake.
gerbilly 8y ago
Attribution doesn't pay even for a hotdog, as seen here: http://theoatmeal.com/comics/exposure http://theoatmeal.com/comics/exposure

agibsonccc 8y ago

I'd argue it's actually the economics. End users both want everything for free expecting it to work perfectly as well as assurances that the project isn't going away while also somehow still wanting guarantees around release schedules. Those same people also endlessly complain to OSS maintainers about something they are getting for free and somehow expect the red carpet when it comes to feature requests. Attribution isn't the issue, it's balancing the need for building a community vs the financial incentives to actually support the people building the thing you're using.