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GitHub + Kickstarter + HumbleBundle – Paid Open Source

2 points by Mehrius 12y ago

Hey, I'm new here and don't really know if this is the right place to ask this but here goes: I want to find a way for open source contributors to get paid. My solution is a service much like Github for software but it should have a hardware section and a web store. There should be a few kinds of contributors to every project: software developers, hardware hackers, testers, investors, project owners etc. They should have a way of deciding how much of the income goes to each category of contributor.(e.g.: the software developers get 10%, hardware 10%, investor 10%, profit 10% etc.) Think of an open source thermostat (best example I could think of). There are people involved in developing the software, the hardware, marketing it etc. People are free to download the schematics, 3d files for the casing and the software for free but if the product is good enough (and has the necessary permits) people can also buy it. In this way you could start a project, find co-owners, find programmers, find hardware guys etc etc etc but everybody gets something out of it for the long run. (royalties) This is my idea.... Don't know if I made it clear or how it sounds to you but What do you think?

thirdtruck 12y ago
It seems to me like a combination of the current crowdsourcing infrastructure (i.e. those in the title, with the addition of Patreon) can fill that gap. I would recommend experimenting with those first, and see if you can get an open source app funded through that. You can blog about the process, then compile your findings into a book (and perhaps a course). That research may help much more, and be much more likely to succeed as a project, than Yet Another Site. I've run a Kickstarter before, in case you have specific questions about that platform. :)
- Mehrius 12y ago
  Thank you for the reply, The main thing in my idea was the website project. I'm not thinking of a particular open source project right now but I'm thinking of a way through which one could find partners in developing one. More so, I'm looking for a way through which people that contribute to open source projects get rewarded in the long run(material reward and not the rewards you already get when contributing to open source projects). Maybe one approach would be create such a project by myself and go through all the steps alone and then like you suggested document my experience. Again, thank you for your reply, and if I need any help with Kickstarter I will reach out...

2 points by Mehrius 12y ago

thirdtruck 12y ago

It seems to me like a combination of the current crowdsourcing infrastructure (i.e. those in the title, with the addition of Patreon) can fill that gap. I would recommend experimenting with those first, and see if you can get an open source app funded through that. You can blog about the process, then compile your findings into a book (and perhaps a course). That research may help much more, and be much more likely to succeed as a project, than Yet Another Site. I've run a Kickstarter before, in case you have specific questions about that platform. :)

Mehrius 12y ago
Thank you for the reply, The main thing in my idea was the website project. I'm not thinking of a particular open source project right now but I'm thinking of a way through which one could find partners in developing one. More so, I'm looking for a way through which people that contribute to open source projects get rewarded in the long run(material reward and not the rewards you already get when contributing to open source projects). Maybe one approach would be create such a project by myself and go through all the steps alone and then like you suggested document my experience. Again, thank you for your reply, and if I need any help with Kickstarter I will reach out...