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Sorry, it's just really off-putting to me that software developers who get paid more than average laborers complain so much about paid offerings that cost them

Sorry, it's just really off-putting to me that software developers who get paid more than average laborers complain so much about paid offerings that cost them less than a single Starbucks drink. We don't know what the pricing is yet, but there are already people discussing what is too much. I know the demographics here aren't strictly American, but the currency conversion is hardly that impactful across major developed nations. There are so many tools in our industry that help you do your job on a daily basis that we all pay nothing for. But you know, have fun thinking you can do anything more than being an employee for the rest of your life if you decide you want to create a product and realize you're a part of an industry who's too cheap to pay $0.99 for an app.

Aeolun 5y ago
Huh, I will likely never read any of it, but it’s a simple way to give back a little bit to Mozilla.
scarecrowbob 5y ago
If it helps you find this discussion more palatable, you might consider and even-further-left analysis. You could look at how the laborers who you're writing about are often asked to create the conditions of their own labor. While this traditionally might include all of the unpaid domestic work that goes into the creation of a working class, the work situation for employees here is that it'n not, at the end of the day, the employers who are paying for the app. I like my employer and all, and maybe I could get them to fund things like this, but if I can make that happen, why would I care what it costs? I would probably want it to cost more ,because a $0.99 app is just going to come straight of my pocket rather than and expense for which I can be reimbursed. I don't care if MDN charges, and I personally would pay for it. But I also brought my own device to work for the first 5 years after I stopped being a 1099 employee... so I am a sucker. I get tired of paying for tools i need to make money for other people, even if I understand that money goes to other folks in similar situations.
- skybrian 5y ago
  Convincing an employer to pay expenses seems like a decent negotiating tactic, a way of charging more. But it doesn’t seem like it should be treated as a moral issue? It’s just how you structure the transaction. You could also charge more by changing more and paying the expenses, which gives you more control over spending.

Aeolun 5y ago

Huh, I will likely never read any of it, but it’s a simple way to give back a little bit to Mozilla.

scarecrowbob 5y ago

If it helps you find this discussion more palatable, you might consider and even-further-left analysis. You could look at how the laborers who you're writing about are often asked to create the conditions of their own labor. While this traditionally might include all of the unpaid domestic work that goes into the creation of a working class, the work situation for employees here is that it'n not, at the end of the day, the employers who are paying for the app. I like my employer and all, and maybe I could get them to fund things like this, but if I can make that happen, why would I care what it costs? I would probably want it to cost more ,because a $0.99 app is just going to come straight of my pocket rather than and expense for which I can be reimbursed. I don't care if MDN charges, and I personally would pay for it. But I also brought my own device to work for the first 5 years after I stopped being a 1099 employee... so I am a sucker. I get tired of paying for tools i need to make money for other people, even if I understand that money goes to other folks in similar situations.

skybrian 5y ago
Convincing an employer to pay expenses seems like a decent negotiating tactic, a way of charging more. But it doesn’t seem like it should be treated as a moral issue? It’s just how you structure the transaction. You could also charge more by changing more and paying the expenses, which gives you more control over spending.