4 ms·

I am always amazed at the generosity of some people who use free/open-source software. It definitely makes me want to try and become more supportive to such ef

I am always amazed at the generosity of some people who use free/open-source software. It definitely makes me want to try and become more supportive to such efforts myself. I make a (closed-source but completely free/ad-free) minimal macOS app for Hue, and every other day (sometimes a week goes by) I get a lovely price-of-a-coffee-sized donation from someone in the community. And when I ask for their name to include them in a credits or supporters panel, most don't even want me to mention it or credit them. One time, I struggled to replicate an issue for which I didn't have the necessary hardware (multiple Hue bridges), and the bug reporter simply offered to buy and send me "a bunch of bridges and lights" to make debugging easier. I couldn't accept it, but it's gestures like that, combined with positive feedback from people wanting the project to keep going and succeed, that are such a tremendous motivational driver for working on "free stuff". I had totally underestimated that (coming from the SaaS side).

roel_v 4y ago
"I couldn't accept it" Why not?
- lionkor 4y ago
  Probably because its too much - I struggle to accept donations on my project as well, especially when theyre larger than price-of-a-coffee.
  - pifm_guy 4y ago
    Accepting a large donation but then not having any free time to work on the project (eg. Due to family or other commitments) feels very dishonest. So I only accept substantial donations if I'm very sure I'm going to be able to do a substantial amount of work on the project going forward.
    - tux 4y ago
      I actually have different experience, I spend all my time on projects but see very few donations :) But thank you to all who donate to open source and other projects.
      - pifm_guy 4y ago
        I once got an unsolicited donation that was larger than my lifetime earnings... The sender didn't reply to messages. I really wasn't sure what to do. And without a document saying it was a gift from the sender, I had to give half away as taxes, and then there was no possibility of returning it (I wouldn't be able to reclaim the taxes).
        tux 4y ago
        Yeah no such luck here ^_^ [1] But I like doing my projects so much that this is not discouraging me to continue. But it does motivate me more when I get donations. [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34084960 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34084960
    - layer8 4y ago
      You can accept the donation as a thank you for what you've already done. It should be motivation, not obligation.
- mschuster91 4y ago
  For some jurisdictions like Germany, accepting "donations" - no matter if cash or in goods - is a nightmare tax-wise. Yes, you can just throw up a PayPal, but if some random troll wishes to cause you pain, all it takes is an e-mail to the tax office and they'll fleece and nail you.
gog 4y ago
What is the name of the app?
- cyann 4y ago
  I'd guess https://huemenu.app/ https://huemenu.app/ (I'm a user)
comprev 4y ago
Whenever I donate something it’s always on condition of anonymity. Recently I donated my old top-spec race MTB to a bike club, under the condition it was to be gifted to one of the Ukrainian’s who’ve been displaced and now live in our community. Nobody knew I had the bike. Within a few days I got a message back saying there was a teenager that loved racing bikes back in his home country, and can now look forward to the 2023 season with additional financial/logistical support from the club. I’ll probably bump into them on the local trails and seeing their beaming (and muddy!) smile is worth a thousand times more than publicly being connected to the donation.

roel_v 4y ago

"I couldn't accept it" Why not?

lionkor 4y ago
Probably because its too much - I struggle to accept donations on my project as well, especially when theyre larger than price-of-a-coffee.
- pifm_guy 4y ago
  Accepting a large donation but then not having any free time to work on the project (eg. Due to family or other commitments) feels very dishonest. So I only accept substantial donations if I'm very sure I'm going to be able to do a substantial amount of work on the project going forward.
  - tux 4y ago
    I actually have different experience, I spend all my time on projects but see very few donations :) But thank you to all who donate to open source and other projects.
    - pifm_guy 4y ago
      I once got an unsolicited donation that was larger than my lifetime earnings... The sender didn't reply to messages. I really wasn't sure what to do. And without a document saying it was a gift from the sender, I had to give half away as taxes, and then there was no possibility of returning it (I wouldn't be able to reclaim the taxes).
      - tux 4y ago
        Yeah no such luck here ^_^ [1] But I like doing my projects so much that this is not discouraging me to continue. But it does motivate me more when I get donations. [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34084960 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34084960
  - layer8 4y ago
    You can accept the donation as a thank you for what you've already done. It should be motivation, not obligation.
mschuster91 4y ago
For some jurisdictions like Germany, accepting "donations" - no matter if cash or in goods - is a nightmare tax-wise. Yes, you can just throw up a PayPal, but if some random troll wishes to cause you pain, all it takes is an e-mail to the tax office and they'll fleece and nail you.

gog 4y ago

What is the name of the app?

cyann 4y ago
I'd guess https://huemenu.app/ https://huemenu.app/ (I'm a user)

comprev 4y ago

Whenever I donate something it’s always on condition of anonymity. Recently I donated my old top-spec race MTB to a bike club, under the condition it was to be gifted to one of the Ukrainian’s who’ve been displaced and now live in our community. Nobody knew I had the bike. Within a few days I got a message back saying there was a teenager that loved racing bikes back in his home country, and can now look forward to the 2023 season with additional financial/logistical support from the club. I’ll probably bump into them on the local trails and seeing their beaming (and muddy!) smile is worth a thousand times more than publicly being connected to the donation.