Ask HN: Dear open source devs how do you sustain yourself • Hacker News Board

Re: Ask HN: Dear open source devs how do you sustain yourself

#171

Post by antocv » Mon, May 18, 2020, 1:09 PM UTC

svjatoslav wrote: post #141

I asked Richard Stallman this question: His answer was: Live cheaply. Eric S. Raymond answer was: Be independently wealthy. I have tried to reach billionaire philanthropists (Bill Gates, Steve Wozniak, Dean Kamen, Warren Buffet, and others) with the idea that there are very talented people around who have brilliant ideas (say for instance another Newton or Mozart) but are not financially independent to afford to work…

Sad and similar response from both of them, ie "you shouldnt need money"

This is a major failure of free and open source, not having a business plan at all while those who do have a business plan, Google, AWS, Microsoft are reeking in the billions in profit from the free labor provided by foss-developers.

Why cant developers of the software (say coreutils) make profits on it? Why cant developers put constraints on the softwares usage, ie you arent allowed to use it unless you pay. Pay to buy software freedoms model.

Meanwhile, Microsoft/Google is using the same software to make a profit and it says to its customers "pay monthly to be allowed to use this foss". Thats all fine. Strange.

Re: Ask HN: Dear open source devs how do you sustain yourself

#172

Post by atonse » Mon, May 18, 2020, 1:10 PM UTC

jbk wrote: post #57

I've been working on VideoLAN (VLC, x264, other...) for most of my professional life. For a long time, I had other jobs, working at startups around video, and doing VLC at nights and weekends and holidays. And now, I built a couple of companies around Open Source multimedia, where we do consulting, integration, custom development around software, applications development, licensing, support and so on. Those companies…

VLC is one of those rare pieces of software that seems to play every single thing you throw at it, and just do it smoothly.

I know whenever something fails, "VLC will play it" – and that's the advice I give if someone asks me how to open a file that isn't mp4, etc.

Thanks for an awesome project and I am actually happy to hear that you have 25 people and what seems to be a sustainable business.

Re: Ask HN: Dear open source devs how do you sustain yourself

#173

Post by Olaf-novice » Mon, May 18, 2020, 1:10 PM UTC

jbk wrote: post #57

I've been working on VideoLAN (VLC, x264, other...) for most of my professional life. For a long time, I had other jobs, working at startups around video, and doing VLC at nights and weekends and holidays. And now, I built a couple of companies around Open Source multimedia, where we do consulting, integration, custom development around software, applications development, licensing, support and so on. Those companies…

VLC is really great! Thanks for working on it. Do other oppensource groups have more salaried employees? Is donnations the only way for VLC to make money ?

Re: Ask HN: Dear open source devs how do you sustain yourself

#174

Post by bullen » Mon, May 18, 2020, 1:10 PM UTC

Lemmih wrote: post #4

I have sponsors on Github and rake in a cool $2 per month. It's obviously less after taxes so I also have a day job. https://github.com/sponsors/Lemmih

In Sweden gifts are tax-free, where do you live and how much tax do you have to pay on those 2$?

Re: Ask HN: Dear open source devs how do you sustain yourself

#175

Post by antocv » Mon, May 18, 2020, 1:11 PM UTC

Accujack wrote: post #168

svjatoslav wrote: post #141

I asked Richard Stallman this question: His answer was: Live cheaply. Eric S. Raymond answer was: Be independently wealthy. I have tried to reach billionaire philanthropists (Bill Gates, Steve Wozniak, Dean Kamen, Warren Buffet, and others) with the idea that there are very talented people around who have brilliant ideas (say for instance another Newton or Mozart) but are not financially independent to afford to work…

Are you surprised they didn't respond? Your solution to this problem seems to be focused on what other people can do to make things easier for you and others like you, but that's not how humanity works. You're ignoring that your request is unreasonable because you're taking the easy way out - looking for a source of money and convincing yourself that your efforts deserve it because it's easier than doing the work you…

> The rich aren't obligated to hand you money

> use your own money to support open s...

Why should he feel obligated to support others?

Re: Ask HN: Dear open source devs how do you sustain yourself

#176

Post by geerlingguy » Mon, May 18, 2020, 1:11 PM UTC

jlokier wrote: post #107

robertlagrant wrote: post #46

I notice noone's mentioned Tidelift. Why is that?

I think it is because nobody who has responded so far is making money from Tidelift. Tidelift is a neat idea. But it's far from the first attempt at finding ways to collectively fund OSS development and maintenance. I think by now we're a bit burned out and skeptical, after seeing various attempts tried every few years, and the financial figures that show up look pitifully small. To be fair, most of the others are bo…

Tidelift is one of a dozen similar ideas, the problem is all of them rely on the OSS contributors to self-market, and for most of us, you might as well ask us to go jump in shark-infested water.

Re: Ask HN: Dear open source devs how do you sustain yourself

#177

Post by xnyan » Mon, May 18, 2020, 1:11 PM UTC

jbk wrote: post #57

I've been working on VideoLAN (VLC, x264, other...) for most of my professional life. For a long time, I had other jobs, working at startups around video, and doing VLC at nights and weekends and holidays. And now, I built a couple of companies around Open Source multimedia, where we do consulting, integration, custom development around software, applications development, licensing, support and so on. Those companies…

15 years ago I was on a date with a wonderful young lady. We had a picnic and I brought my (at the time) very modern projector to watch a movie, projected on a bedsheet in the woods. Windows Media Player refused to play the DVD. No internet access at all. I thought I had failed...until I remembered that I had installed VLC. Opened the VTS.VOB on the DVD directly and boom, the video started and played back without a single hitch. I was a tech hero that day.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for VLC!

Re: Ask HN: Dear open source devs how do you sustain yourself

#178

Post by benjoseph » Mon, May 18, 2020, 1:12 PM UTC

jbk wrote: post #57

I've been working on VideoLAN (VLC, x264, other...) for most of my professional life. For a long time, I had other jobs, working at startups around video, and doing VLC at nights and weekends and holidays. And now, I built a couple of companies around Open Source multimedia, where we do consulting, integration, custom development around software, applications development, licensing, support and so on. Those companies…

Thanks a ton for all the great work you and the team put in! P.S: Most people I know refer to traffic cones as VLC :D

Re: Ask HN: Dear open source devs how do you sustain yourself

#179

Post by andrewjrhill » Mon, May 18, 2020, 1:15 PM UTC

xnyan wrote: post #177

jbk wrote: post #57

I've been working on VideoLAN (VLC, x264, other...) for most of my professional life. For a long time, I had other jobs, working at startups around video, and doing VLC at nights and weekends and holidays. And now, I built a couple of companies around Open Source multimedia, where we do consulting, integration, custom development around software, applications development, licensing, support and so on. Those companies…

15 years ago I was on a date with a wonderful young lady. We had a picnic and I brought my (at the time) very modern projector to watch a movie, projected on a bedsheet in the woods. Windows Media Player refused to play the DVD. No internet access at all. I thought I had failed...until I remembered that I had installed VLC. Opened the VTS.VOB on the DVD directly and boom, the video started and played back without a s…

How did you power the projector? Did you drag a generator into the forest too?

Re: Ask HN: Dear open source devs how do you sustain yourself

#180

Post by dennis_jeeves » Mon, May 18, 2020, 1:16 PM UTC

svjatoslav wrote: post #141

I asked Richard Stallman this question: His answer was: Live cheaply. Eric S. Raymond answer was: Be independently wealthy. I have tried to reach billionaire philanthropists (Bill Gates, Steve Wozniak, Dean Kamen, Warren Buffet, and others) with the idea that there are very talented people around who have brilliant ideas (say for instance another Newton or Mozart) but are not financially independent to afford to work…

I suspect that the likes of Steve Wozniak and Dean Kamen probably already do some kind of financing albeit not too openly.

Identifying a Newton or Mozart is a bigger problem that financing them, I think.

It would be interesting to see what people like Linus Torvalds, Richard Stallman and have been offered by the rich to continue their work. They are worth billions but I suspect they only see a fraction of that sum.