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> How much do you use open source, as a developer and as a user As a user I agree, things would probably be more expensive if nothing was open source. But as a

> How much do you use open source, as a developer and as a user As a user I agree, things would probably be more expensive if nothing was open source. But as a developer, I disagree, my employer would simply need to pay for the stuff I use, or they'd pay me or another developer to build them one. And this is precisely what the article argues, that companies should pay for it. If there wasn't any open source logging library, the maintainer could either work for a company that offers a paid one, start his own company, or work for a company that pays him to maintain one for them.

wolverine876 5y ago
> But as a developer, I disagree, my employer would simply need to pay for the stuff I use, or they'd pay me or another developer to build them one. Good point, but you would have a much smaller industry and platform without FOSS, and there is no way you could build all the libraries, tools, etc., yourself. Even FAANG depends on FOSS. If everything had to be paid for and professionally developed, licensed, etc., there would be much less around, and nobody could fork and innovate - there's a reason people develop and use FOSS.
- didibus 5y ago
  I think that's the counterargument, and I can imagine it being true, but I also think we just don't know. Maybe there'd be just as much advancement but more developers would be properly compensated. It's hard to say exactly what would have happened because we're talking an alternate history. Lowering the barrier to entry by being able to leverage a lot of free stuff probably helps make the industry bigger in having more startups, but I also can't say for sure there wouldn't be more jobs or higher paid jobs otherwise. In the end, I'm not trying to push to end FOSS, but I'm trying to bring to front the contradiction I'm seeing of people wanting FOSS but also wanting FOSS developers paid a full wage. It seems fundamentally at odds, if you want people working on logging libraries to be paid full wages, stop making FOSS logging libraries.
  - wolverine876 5y ago
    > I think that's the counterargument, and I can imagine it being true, but I also think we just don't know. Maybe there'd be just as much advancement but more developers would be properly compensated. It's hard to say exactly what would have happened because we're talking an alternate history. Yes, valid and important point. We could look at how other industries develop. Software + Internet is especially condusive to 'free' products. Other industries must at least share knowledge, which arguably is embedded in FOSS software. > I'm seeing of people wanting FOSS but also wanting FOSS developers paid a full wage. It seems fundamentally at odds, if you want people working on logging libraries to be paid full wages, stop making FOSS logging libraries. An inarguable logic ...

wolverine876 5y ago

> But as a developer, I disagree, my employer would simply need to pay for the stuff I use, or they'd pay me or another developer to build them one. Good point, but you would have a much smaller industry and platform without FOSS, and there is no way you could build all the libraries, tools, etc., yourself. Even FAANG depends on FOSS. If everything had to be paid for and professionally developed, licensed, etc., there would be much less around, and nobody could fork and innovate - there's a reason people develop and use FOSS.

didibus 5y ago
I think that's the counterargument, and I can imagine it being true, but I also think we just don't know. Maybe there'd be just as much advancement but more developers would be properly compensated. It's hard to say exactly what would have happened because we're talking an alternate history. Lowering the barrier to entry by being able to leverage a lot of free stuff probably helps make the industry bigger in having more startups, but I also can't say for sure there wouldn't be more jobs or higher paid jobs otherwise. In the end, I'm not trying to push to end FOSS, but I'm trying to bring to front the contradiction I'm seeing of people wanting FOSS but also wanting FOSS developers paid a full wage. It seems fundamentally at odds, if you want people working on logging libraries to be paid full wages, stop making FOSS logging libraries.
- wolverine876 5y ago
  > I think that's the counterargument, and I can imagine it being true, but I also think we just don't know. Maybe there'd be just as much advancement but more developers would be properly compensated. It's hard to say exactly what would have happened because we're talking an alternate history. Yes, valid and important point. We could look at how other industries develop. Software + Internet is especially condusive to 'free' products. Other industries must at least share knowledge, which arguably is embedded in FOSS software. > I'm seeing of people wanting FOSS but also wanting FOSS developers paid a full wage. It seems fundamentally at odds, if you want people working on logging libraries to be paid full wages, stop making FOSS logging libraries. An inarguable logic ...