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GitHub stars won't pay your rent (2020)

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Re: GitHub stars won't pay your rent (2020)

#191

Post by viraptor »

ushakov wrote: post #125
viraptor wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Also the distribution of stars is... weird. I've got a repo with 24k stars (which is still enough for top 500 on github) which took minimal effort and no maintenance - definitely lower than a lot of large software projects which deserve lots of money. Like, I'm next to pipenv and vagrant and making any money distribution based on that would be absurd.

24k on GitHub, 32k on HN. You must be good at getting internet points

Do anything long enough and you'll get lucky one day. There was no skill involved beyond HN addiction.

Re: GitHub stars won't pay your rent (2020)

#192

Post by wslh »

When this subject arrives I always think about curl [1] and how a project reaching a market of billion of people and devices receives so few donations and little money [2]. I just discover the project added a link for commercial support [3].

[1] https://curl.se/

[2] https://www.google.com/search?q=curl+donations&oq=curl+donat...

[3] https://curl.se/support.html

Re: GitHub stars won't pay your rent (2020)

#193

Post by _wldu »

hrbf wrote: post #149
_wldu wrote: post #49

I have been thinking about closing my Github account and moving all my code to gitweb on one of my personal domains. I'm tired of the social/popularity contest aspect of Github and just want to write and publish code that I find interesting. I also want more control and I don't want my code used for AI research like co pilot. I thought about trying source hut, or something similar, but I feel it will end-up just like…

I have done exactly this, after being fed up with GitHub. Surprising no one, if you set out to build the “social media but for code”, that’s what you get. I’m using a combination of cgit, Gitolite and Nginx. Once set up, it’s easy to use and rock solid. Gitolite configures through a Git repository. I’m not going back. About 14 days ago, on a post about Gitea incorporating, I shared my writeup of the install in case y…

Thank you, this is very helpful.

Re: GitHub stars won't pay your rent (2020)

#194

Post by top_kekeroni_m8 »

_wldu wrote: post #49

I have been thinking about closing my Github account and moving all my code to gitweb on one of my personal domains. I'm tired of the social/popularity contest aspect of Github and just want to write and publish code that I find interesting. I also want more control and I don't want my code used for AI research like co pilot. I thought about trying source hut, or something similar, but I feel it will end-up just like…

Nobody cares about your code.

Re: GitHub stars won't pay your rent (2020)

#197

Post by bryanrasmussen »

NayamAmarshe wrote: post #170
senko wrote: post #116

I've been harping for years to anyone who would listen, Open Source is not a business model [0]. If your motivation for doing open source is money, you're doing it wrong. You'll be much better off just getting a job (and GitHub stars can help with that!). We all know "build it and they will come" and "follow your passion and the money will follow" don't really work in the real world. You have to make something people…

Are people really depending on Open Source for Economics? Open Source is not a business model, and that should be obvious. It's a distribution model, which has nothing to do with economics. Sure, it may affect a few variables but marketing and sales strategy are what matter more.

>Are people really depending on Open Source for Economics?

No, but it often seems like people argue as though it should be sufficient. There are lots of people who argue that things should be open sourced who in their arguments elide the point about how will people survive working on things for free.

Re: GitHub stars won't pay your rent (2020)

#198

Post by CM30 »

senko wrote: post #116

I've been harping for years to anyone who would listen, Open Source is not a business model [0]. If your motivation for doing open source is money, you're doing it wrong. You'll be much better off just getting a job (and GitHub stars can help with that!). We all know "build it and they will come" and "follow your passion and the money will follow" don't really work in the real world. You have to make something people…

This times a million. I'm not sure when people started thinking that everything they do outside of office hours should have a paid return, but open source is meant to be something you do to help others, if you feel like doing it. It's basically just giving back to the community after creating something interesting for your own purposes.

Does that mean it can't help you get opportunities that can make you money? No of course not. It can look good on a CV, boost your name reputation online, get you a speaking gig or a spot at a conference, etc.

But it won't necessarily do that, and you shouldn't expect a return in 99.9% of cases. It's like expecting that your video game mods are going to become your career. In theory it could happen, but it 99% of cases it won't, and that's perfectly fine. It's something you do because you enjoy it.

Re: GitHub stars won't pay your rent (2020)

#199

Post by tomrod »

karaterobot wrote: post #60
tomrod wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That convention is regional and, increasingly in the US, generational.

Wikipedia: > In the United States, Mexico, Australia, Argentina, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Pacific Island nations, and English-speaking Canada, the sign is written before the number ("$5"), even though the word is written or spoken after it ("five dollars", "cinco pesos"). In French-speaking Canada, exceptionally, the dollar symbol usually appears after the number, e.g., "5$". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dollar_sign#…

Regional: Canada can do both before or after number due to French influence--that was mentioned in your link, by the way[0]

Regional: Philippines (personal experience) and many other countries write currency symbol following the number[1]

Generational: starting to show up in texting culture[2]

Having experience with languages evolving due to technology, including a few Filipino dialects, I've observed people adopting new conventions in spite of older generational mores is nothing new. Happens all the time. And as a person gets more experience with places that have different conventions, they typically let go of the provincial views that their learned way is the only way. The dollar sign is not the only chrrency.

Does a US dollar sign after a number look right to me? No, because my grammar teacher taught me differently. But my native French boss flipped it all the time and nothing of communication value was lost.

[0] https://linguaholic.com/linguablog/dollar-sign-before-or-aft...

[1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euro_sign#Use

[2] texting and Text-to-Speech capture of written language.

Re: GitHub stars won't pay your rent (2020)

#200

Post by beached_whale »

CM30 wrote: post #198
senko wrote: post #116

I've been harping for years to anyone who would listen, Open Source is not a business model [0]. If your motivation for doing open source is money, you're doing it wrong. You'll be much better off just getting a job (and GitHub stars can help with that!). We all know "build it and they will come" and "follow your passion and the money will follow" don't really work in the real world. You have to make something people…

This times a million. I'm not sure when people started thinking that everything they do outside of office hours should have a paid return, but open source is meant to be something you do to help others, if you feel like doing it. It's basically just giving back to the community after creating something interesting for your own purposes. Does that mean it can't help you get opportunities that can make you money? No of…

Hard disagree and flip it back to the freedoms of the user of the software. OSS is about giving the people using software the freedom to inspect and modify the code to the system they use, full stop. The developers have always had the ability and right to sell it or earn from making it. That people think it is developer servitude and virtuously giving it away is incorrect. It may happen, but it is def not a requirement
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