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I don't know if open-source _businesses_ are healthy for open-source. It seems to fit much better with community volunteer projects without the pressure of tryi
by Pet_Ant 6y ago
I don't know if open-source _businesses_ are healthy for open-source. It seems to fit much better with community volunteer projects without the pressure of trying to develop a business model around them: which feels like the root of the problem. Sponsoring developers with Patreon and donation runs has worked in the past and given us great projects.
- IfOnlyYouKnew 6y agoThere is evidence to the contrary that seems to be relevant here. To wit, it's an "open-source business" providing the open source software people apparently feel very strongly about, not a "community volunteer project without the pressure".
- byefruit 6y agoI'm genuinely interested in examples of great projects from those funding sources. When I think about OSS databases for example I can't think of any widely used ones that don't have at least one commercial entity that provides maintenance and support which funds development.
- kjeetgill 6y agoThere's difference between a) having a big corporate backer for an open-source project vs b) a company and business built around that open-source project. The incentives and existential threats towards the project are completely different.