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I Love MDN, or the cult of the free in action

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Re: I Love MDN, or the cult of the free in action

#31
post #6

>Are you willing to pay 50-100 euros/dollars per year to keep MDN afloat? Yes, as long as there is a guarantee that my money will go towards actually paying people who update the documentation rather than CEO salary, degenerate activism or doomed web startups. >Create an independent entity like Fronteers, but then international, get members to pay 50-100 euros/dollars per year, and use that money to fund MDN or its s…

>degenerate activism

What is degenerate activism?

Re: I Love MDN, or the cult of the free in action

#32
> It reminds me of breaking into spontaneous applause for our courageous health workers instead of funding them properly so they can do their jobs.

> If not, this is all about making you feel better,...

These 2 statements here reflect this weird behavior I have seen in certain countries like the UK where everyone will say things like "we At times this behavior feels a bit cult-like and I also think that the dopamine-effects are meant more for those giving the applause.

Re: I Love MDN, or the cult of the free in action

#33
post #2

> Cult of the free This is poorly chosen language as it doesn't distinguish between freedom versus monetization. I think most users of free software know it's 'free as in freedom' and they are not being duped. I think most users of free services are duped into thinking it is actually free and are unaware their data is being sold and monetized and are paying for the service with their data. Lately more people are waki…

I don't think the value in MDN is developers data so much as it's about controlling the defacto standards of Web Development.

Re: I Love MDN, or the cult of the free in action

#34
post #8
post #4

Rather sad the two proposals here are either "giant browser vendors should pay for it" or "independent web developers should pay for it." It's one thing for developers to pay for things that will develop their independent careers, but MDN is a reference as much as it is a learning resource; it's something developers constantly use at their jobs. Their employers , big or small, should be the ones paying for it. Of cou…

>MDN is a reference as much as it is a learning resource.. >Their employers, big or small, should be the ones paying for it. Your argument is counter intuitive, if it is truly a reference, then surely the developers themselves should pay for it. A company hires a developer with the expectation that they know their field (including the standards etc.). It is the developers' own concern if they (understandably) need a…

If that is the case , Stackoverflow should not be where it is now. In every field there is lot to learn. you learn everyday.you cannot find one who knows everything. If someone says it, don't hire him

Re: I Love MDN, or the cult of the free in action

#35
post #6

>Are you willing to pay 50-100 euros/dollars per year to keep MDN afloat? Yes, as long as there is a guarantee that my money will go towards actually paying people who update the documentation rather than CEO salary, degenerate activism or doomed web startups. >Create an independent entity like Fronteers, but then international, get members to pay 50-100 euros/dollars per year, and use that money to fund MDN or its s…

> Yes, as long as there is a guarantee that my money will go towards actually paying people who update the documentation rather than CEO salary, degenerate activism or doomed web startups.

Interestingly, this same sentiment is a huge part of why charitable giving runs into problems.

A lot of people are willing to give, so long as they get to decide what is done with their funds. Of course, these same people have no idea what it actually takes to run a charity; they have no idea what on-the-ground problems need to be solved day-to-day; they have absolutely zero understanding of the organizational supports needed to make any organization function. They're basically in the worst possible position to decide how best to use those funds.

But they still want to decide how they're used.

This despite the fact that they're ostensibly donating to a charitable organization specifically because that organization possesses all that expertise; expertise that costs real money to attract and retain, since they're ultimately competing against the private sector.

It's one of the reasons why, when I donate to a charity, I never specify how I want those funds to be used; I recognize that the charity is in a far better position to make that decision than I am.

I feel like there's a connection to Dunning-Kreuger in here somewhere...

Re: I Love MDN, or the cult of the free in action

#36
post #4

Rather sad the two proposals here are either "giant browser vendors should pay for it" or "independent web developers should pay for it." It's one thing for developers to pay for things that will develop their independent careers, but MDN is a reference as much as it is a learning resource; it's something developers constantly use at their jobs. Their employers , big or small, should be the ones paying for it. Of cou…

I think making employers pay for it can cause the cost to be too high. And still there'd be thousands of small-medium companies, schools, and universities who won't buy the subscription - the majority of the population won't have access to it. I believe it HAS to be kept free for the general public, no matter what.

I totally agree with this. I should have clarified that when I say "funding open source," I think of that differently from "paying for software/resources" - this would not involve paying for access, just paying for continued development and maintenance.

Of course, as other commenters have been pointed out, it's hard to sell companies on paying something they "have" for free. Which is why companies will shell out big money for the O'Reilly Learning Platform or MSDN ($500/year/seat for the former!) but not even think about spending money on a community resource.

Re: I Love MDN, or the cult of the free in action

#37
post #6

>Are you willing to pay 50-100 euros/dollars per year to keep MDN afloat? Yes, as long as there is a guarantee that my money will go towards actually paying people who update the documentation rather than CEO salary, degenerate activism or doomed web startups. >Create an independent entity like Fronteers, but then international, get members to pay 50-100 euros/dollars per year, and use that money to fund MDN or its s…

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Re: I Love MDN, or the cult of the free in action

#39
post #6

>Are you willing to pay 50-100 euros/dollars per year to keep MDN afloat? Yes, as long as there is a guarantee that my money will go towards actually paying people who update the documentation rather than CEO salary, degenerate activism or doomed web startups. >Create an independent entity like Fronteers, but then international, get members to pay 50-100 euros/dollars per year, and use that money to fund MDN or its s…

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