4 ms·

Is their contribution to an F/OSS project a "job" or guarantee of income? If you do not want to "donate" your time anymore...stop; this isn't a difficult conce

Is their contribution to an F/OSS project a "job" or guarantee of income? If you do not want to "donate" your time anymore...stop; this isn't a difficult concept. I contribute $500/year to 4 projects that are integral to implementations I support. And I am not attempting to sound like a hero or what I contribute is important...but I can assure you its MUCH more than most.

deleted 7y ago
[deleted]
kemitchell 7y ago
Last time I looked into it, I could count all the open software developers making more than $1k per person per month on donation platforms like Patreon, Liberapay, and Open Collective on less than two hands. Most of those weren't actually just taking donations, but using the perks system as a store for add-on products and services like ads, access to security alerts, and work prioritization. I don't know you and I don't have anything to say about you. My point is on the funding mechanism. The evidence I've seen shows that donation-based funding a la Patreon produces a few highly funded, highly visible outliers, many of which would be far better off doing large-dollar deals with their larger supporters off the platform. So far, I don't think the evidence supports recommending the donation-platform approach as a general solution to enabling more valuable contribution from developers, even those with substantial online reputations. Supporter counts and supporter amounts don't bear donations alone out as a meaningful support for individuals.
- JerryBerryDerry 7y ago
  I think you are making my point and we would support the same things. I never said I have the solution but I did say selling ad space is not it. And I am sorry that patreon works for some and not others and that the “curve” is not fair. My only point was that contributors should not make their issues the communities or the projects; it’s developer specific not project unless all agree to make it project based; then go for profit. All things are not equal and each project has its own lifecycle/ecosystem. We are both in agreement that we would like a method of rewarding efforts of contributors.
  - kemitchell 7y ago
    I don't know what you'd support, only what you oppose.

deleted 7y ago

[deleted]

kemitchell 7y ago

Last time I looked into it, I could count all the open software developers making more than $1k per person per month on donation platforms like Patreon, Liberapay, and Open Collective on less than two hands. Most of those weren't actually just taking donations, but using the perks system as a store for add-on products and services like ads, access to security alerts, and work prioritization. I don't know you and I don't have anything to say about you. My point is on the funding mechanism. The evidence I've seen shows that donation-based funding a la Patreon produces a few highly funded, highly visible outliers, many of which would be far better off doing large-dollar deals with their larger supporters off the platform. So far, I don't think the evidence supports recommending the donation-platform approach as a general solution to enabling more valuable contribution from developers, even those with substantial online reputations. Supporter counts and supporter amounts don't bear donations alone out as a meaningful support for individuals.

JerryBerryDerry 7y ago
I think you are making my point and we would support the same things. I never said I have the solution but I did say selling ad space is not it. And I am sorry that patreon works for some and not others and that the “curve” is not fair. My only point was that contributors should not make their issues the communities or the projects; it’s developer specific not project unless all agree to make it project based; then go for profit. All things are not equal and each project has its own lifecycle/ecosystem. We are both in agreement that we would like a method of rewarding efforts of contributors.
- kemitchell 7y ago
  I don't know what you'd support, only what you oppose.