4 ms·
> offering something for free gives them the right to some of their users’ money This article misses the entire point of the Open Source movement. OS maintaine
by mirzap 2y ago
> offering something for free gives them the right to some of their users’ money
This article misses the entire point of the Open Source movement. OS maintainers owe nothing to their users and expect nothing in return. It's that simple. Nobody owes you a bug fix or a new feature that you and your company desperately need. Implement it yourself, then contribute back. That's how it's supposed to work. If you need a feature but don't want to implement it yourself, you should consider compensating a maintainer for their work. A maintainer does not owe you their time and operates on their own release or feature schedule.
> guilt trip people for it
This is a cynical misrepresentation. Most open-source developers know that monetizing their projects is nearly impossible. It’s about passion, not entitlement.
> the goal is for it to be seen by others
Visibility and career advancement can be beneficial, but they are often secondary. Many maintainers continue their work long after securing jobs, driven by their commitment to their projects and communities.