3 ms·

I liked the article, I wish there were more of these. I've always wondered "who" are the developers who contribute to the open-source projects that I use withou

I liked the article, I wish there were more of these. I've always wondered "who" are the developers who contribute to the open-source projects that I use without much hassle? Why do they do it? How does their life look like? And most importantly, are they OK?

johnny22 4y ago
> And most importantly, are they OK? i wanna know this too!
- mbakke 4y ago
  Author here, I appreciate the concern! Actually this blog [post] came about by stopping up and looking at my core values. Earlier this year I decided to quit alcohol for good and suddenly found myself struggling both socially and professionally. Now I'm slowly regaining control of my life and felt inspired to solidify my gratitude to the Guix community which played no small role. So yes, I'm OK and getting better every day, thanks :-)
david_allison 4y ago
Let's go! I'm currently living rent-free in an unoccupied student room in Edinburgh (it's out of term here, and I'm living with friends). I'm spending most of this month enjoying the Edinburgh Fringe Festival[0] (I saw 7 shows yesterday). The remainder of my time goes on Open Source/contracting work. Due to the Fringe, this month is unusual and I'm not satisfied with my open source activity: it's mostly code reviews, force-multiplier work, mentoring and small changes, rather than larger architectural work or features. Financially: In the UK, the minimum wage is £9.30/hour. This is around $20k/year. Open Source work nets me between $10 and $1.50/h via Open Collective (donation funded), plus <$100/m monthly from Patreon/GitHub Sponsors. I have a financial buffer from previous employment and my main aim is to avoid drawing into this buffer. I contract on a part-time basis, and this fills the income gap. I've previously listed my hopes for the next month[1]. I want a multi-monitor setup for my next 2-week project, and that's not feasible to travel with. Am I OK? I am for now. Although my lifestyle offers me a lot of flexibility, it isn't feasible to start a family or hit the traditional 'life goals' while living in this manner. It's a shame to have to fundraise for small personal projects (<$10k), rather than funding them yourself. I'm making financial sacrifices to be where I am and have an irrational worry about what the move back to traditional employment would look like in terms of salary, perceived experience, and coming to terms with the reduction of personal and creative freedom. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edinburgh_Festival_Fringe https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edinburgh_Festival_Fringe [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32312955 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32312955
- dannyobrien 4y ago
  Do you have a link to your sponsorship/donation pages?
  - david_allison 4y ago
    https://opencollective.com/ankidroid https://opencollective.com/ankidroid
- woojoo666 4y ago
  I was amazed that you were making $10/hr as an open source contributor, and I looked at your profile and found that you develop AnkiDroid. That's a wildly successful project, props
archi42 4y ago
Good question. Maybe you should do an Ask HN for that? (Don't forget to check the search in case there already was one).

johnny22 4y ago

> And most importantly, are they OK? i wanna know this too!

mbakke 4y ago
Author here, I appreciate the concern! Actually this blog [post] came about by stopping up and looking at my core values. Earlier this year I decided to quit alcohol for good and suddenly found myself struggling both socially and professionally. Now I'm slowly regaining control of my life and felt inspired to solidify my gratitude to the Guix community which played no small role. So yes, I'm OK and getting better every day, thanks :-)

david_allison 4y ago

Let's go! I'm currently living rent-free in an unoccupied student room in Edinburgh (it's out of term here, and I'm living with friends). I'm spending most of this month enjoying the Edinburgh Fringe Festival[0] (I saw 7 shows yesterday). The remainder of my time goes on Open Source/contracting work. Due to the Fringe, this month is unusual and I'm not satisfied with my open source activity: it's mostly code reviews, force-multiplier work, mentoring and small changes, rather than larger architectural work or features. Financially: In the UK, the minimum wage is £9.30/hour. This is around $20k/year. Open Source work nets me between $10 and $1.50/h via Open Collective (donation funded), plus <$100/m monthly from Patreon/GitHub Sponsors. I have a financial buffer from previous employment and my main aim is to avoid drawing into this buffer. I contract on a part-time basis, and this fills the income gap. I've previously listed my hopes for the next month[1]. I want a multi-monitor setup for my next 2-week project, and that's not feasible to travel with. Am I OK? I am for now. Although my lifestyle offers me a lot of flexibility, it isn't feasible to start a family or hit the traditional 'life goals' while living in this manner. It's a shame to have to fundraise for small personal projects (<$10k), rather than funding them yourself. I'm making financial sacrifices to be where I am and have an irrational worry about what the move back to traditional employment would look like in terms of salary, perceived experience, and coming to terms with the reduction of personal and creative freedom. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edinburgh_Festival_Fringe https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edinburgh_Festival_Fringe [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32312955 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32312955

dannyobrien 4y ago
Do you have a link to your sponsorship/donation pages?
- david_allison 4y ago
  https://opencollective.com/ankidroid https://opencollective.com/ankidroid
woojoo666 4y ago
I was amazed that you were making $10/hr as an open source contributor, and I looked at your profile and found that you develop AnkiDroid. That's a wildly successful project, props

archi42 4y ago

Good question. Maybe you should do an Ask HN for that? (Don't forget to check the search in case there already was one).