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Is It Even Worth Working on FOSS Anymore?

gavinhoward.com

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Re: Is It Even Worth Working on FOSS Anymore?

#91

Post by u10242 »

tlocke wrote: post #79

I work on a few Open Source libraries and they're used by companies that make a lot of money, and people often regard me as a mug for doing the hard work for free so that other people can make lots of money. The argument I give in response is that from an economic perspective, you can only make money from a unique advantage, and since Open Source can be used by anyone, it's not giving anyone a unique advantage. I'd p…

The way is solve this is that I release everything under GPL. Companies usually won't touch that, but everybody else might.

Re: Is It Even Worth Working on FOSS Anymore?

#92

Post by kortilla »

fivelessminutes wrote: post #10
mgaunard wrote: post #4

The reasons you write open-source code: - training purposes to better yourself - as a showcase or to build up your reputation to get hired - because you have a niche need in your personal life that no one else already solved None of those reasons are invalidated by big corporations using open-source without paying back.

The original reason may not be invalidated. But as a continuous activity, over years, what exactly is in it for maintainers to get up in the morning and trade their remaining lease on life for value to be consumed by rich leeches?

The value isn’t “consumed”. I get as much value out of my open source projects regardless of who is using them.

The fact that you consider users to be “leeches” means you’re missing the point of open source.

Re: Is It Even Worth Working on FOSS Anymore?

#93

Post by kortilla »

scotty79 wrote: post #48
aborsy wrote: post #37

Log4j vulnerability is mentioned. But is proprietary software more secure than FOSS?

It's not, but it's not what the author is talking about. He's mostly talking that FOSS is a thankless job creating artifacts that will get appropriated by some greedy corporation.

That’s not what “appropriated” means.

Re: Is It Even Worth Working on FOSS Anymore?

#94

Post by wheresmycraisin »

Open source is great for marketing. You can market yourself as a developer to your peers. You can market your proprietary software by open sourcing a small but useful part of it. You can market your business/service/protocol/whatever else by open sourcing the software to best use it.

Re: Is It Even Worth Working on FOSS Anymore?

#96

Post by scotty79 »

kortilla wrote: post #93
scotty79 wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not, but it's not what the author is talking about. He's mostly talking that FOSS is a thankless job creating artifacts that will get appropriated by some greedy corporation.

That’s not what “appropriated” means.

Could you elaborate? I'm not a native speaker.

Re: Is It Even Worth Working on FOSS Anymore?

#97

Post by sam_goody »

dragonwriter wrote: post #42
sam_goody wrote: post #11

Although I agree with many of the sources of frustration mentioned in the article, there is a way: For most software projects, there should be a way to buy a commercial support license. For many, such a license should be required for use in any org which is over X employees. Even if not enforced, this way a conscientious dev can justify for paying for the license. In addition, for some of the deeper "plumbing" projec…

> As an open source coder, I theoretically love the above The above is not open source, it's a pretty common free (gratis) for limited use, paid for other use commercial/proprietary license of the type tons of non-open-source software uses. (E.g., Visual Studio.)

It is most certainly Open Source, in that the source is open.

In the case where a support contract is available, but not required, it is no less free than any other free software, but there is at least a chance that it might be bankrolled, as well as the projection that this is a professional project.

Even where the support is required, it is my understanding of RHS that that won't impede on the title free, since the usage is not what you are paying for. But there we are quibbling semantics ;)

Re: Is It Even Worth Working on FOSS Anymore?

#98

Post by sokoloff »

lelanthran wrote: post #14
Gunax wrote: post #3

It's always been this way. You shouldn't enter open source expecting accolades or deference. It's awful the way log4j is being treated. I just don't think anything has changed.

> It's awful the way log4j is being treated. Sadly, that's the way all FLOSS gets treated. I saw this exact same sentence when heartbleed came out with just the project name changed. I don't think that anti-commercialisation clauses in the license will fix anything, though.

Anti-commercialization clauses can stop your code from being used (or dramatically reduce it), if that’s your goal.

Re: Is It Even Worth Working on FOSS Anymore?

#99

Post by sam_goody »

rndhouse wrote: post #26
sam_goody wrote: post #11

Although I agree with many of the sources of frustration mentioned in the article, there is a way: For most software projects, there should be a way to buy a commercial support license. For many, such a license should be required for use in any org which is over X employees. Even if not enforced, this way a conscientious dev can justify for paying for the license. In addition, for some of the deeper "plumbing" projec…

I'm working on precisely this problem. My current idea involves payment plans defined in code. See: github.com/openfare/openfare

Good luck!

At least promise, if but a dull glimmer of hope...

Re: Is It Even Worth Working on FOSS Anymore?

#100

Post by kklisura »

I think all of these discussions revolve around singe point: people want all of the benefits of working on FOSS - working on what you love passionately, working at your own pace, whenever, wherever, not being responsible to anyone but yourself and also have access to large audience of developers that will use your software, but they also want all the benefits and incentives that corporate/company structure offers. I don't think these can reconciled.
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