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There are some programs that sell binaries but also give away the code. The premier pixel art editor Aseprite is free (source available, not open source) if yo
by lupusreal 3y ago
There are some programs that sell binaries but also give away the code.
The premier pixel art editor Aseprite is free (source available, not open source) if you're willing to build it from source yourself, but most users buy the prebuilt binaries. I think this way you satisfy both the privacy conscious / cheapskates, and also the developer's economic needs. RMS doesn't approve I'm sure, but you can't please them all.
- em-bee 3y agoif the license is GPL you can give away the source and sell binaries. you can even restrict giving the source to those that buy your binaries. red hat is doing that. the only limitation is that you can't prevent anyone who has the source from building it themselves and giving away those binaries. but most people who do pay for the binaries won't do that. so whether this strategy works depends on who is your target audience. if you are targeting developers you probably won't sell much. but other audiences may be fine. i don't know.
- sph 3y agoRMS totally approves, and selling binaries (as long as they are accompanied by source code) is explicitly approved by the FSF. Open-source has never been about hating money or working for the glory.
- seba_dos1 3y agoApproves selling software, but doesn't approve making it non-free - and Aseprite is non-free (it used to be free in the past).