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Help Me Help You, Maintainers

matduggan.com

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Re: Help Me Help You, Maintainers

#11

Post by 4hg4ufxhy »

carlosjobim wrote: post #10

I had the misfortune to yet again interact with the world of FOSS today. This is how it panned out: 1. Heard that something called Rustdesk is a good VNC solution. 2. Installed it on my host and client devices fine. The client is an Android tablet 3. Finger touch input works, but stylus input doesn't work. 4. Search the internet and find the GitHub issue 5. In it the developers at Rustdesk have responded "Fund it if…

If that software has some thousand of users it has made a lot of money. Your report and the fix is in their best interest to stay competetive in the market.

18 dollars for a feature request pales in comparison. Even if it was a 1 line fix it wouldn't be economical work.

Re: Help Me Help You, Maintainers

#12

Post by carlosjobim »

4hg4ufxhy wrote: post #11
carlosjobim wrote: post #10

I had the misfortune to yet again interact with the world of FOSS today. This is how it panned out: 1. Heard that something called Rustdesk is a good VNC solution. 2. Installed it on my host and client devices fine. The client is an Android tablet 3. Finger touch input works, but stylus input doesn't work. 4. Search the internet and find the GitHub issue 5. In it the developers at Rustdesk have responded "Fund it if…

If that software has some thousand of users it has made a lot of money. Your report and the fix is in their best interest to stay competetive in the market. 18 dollars for a feature request pales in comparison. Even if it was a 1 line fix it wouldn't be economical work.

That's 18 dollars I was willing to donate without anything in return, so that they maybe perhaps possibly would implement this feature. Which is a lot more money than 100% of FOSS users are willing to contribute.

With paid apps you get exactly the features you pay for, you get customer support, and you get a fair and polite exchange.

It is already a lot for people to swallow to be asked to donate in advance for a feature you need, without any guarantee or even likelihood that it is going to be implemented. But it's a whole different level to put a minimum amount of $20 for such a donation.

I'm just telling my experience as an end-user, and why I avoid FOSS at all costs. Maintainers have only themselves to blame for the situation they've put themselves in.

Re: Help Me Help You, Maintainers

#13

Post by drekipus »

carlosjobim wrote: post #12
4hg4ufxhy wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If that software has some thousand of users it has made a lot of money. Your report and the fix is in their best interest to stay competetive in the market. 18 dollars for a feature request pales in comparison. Even if it was a 1 line fix it wouldn't be economical work.

That's 18 dollars I was willing to donate without anything in return, so that they maybe perhaps possibly would implement this feature. Which is a lot more money than 100% of FOSS users are willing to contribute. With paid apps you get exactly the features you pay for, you get customer support, and you get a fair and polite exchange. It is already a lot for people to swallow to be asked to donate in advance for a fea…

"I care enough to cast $18 of my cold hard earned cash into a black hole for altruistic purposes, but nay shall it be $20, as I am but a humble mortal"

Re: Help Me Help You, Maintainers

#14

Post by carlosjobim »

drekipus wrote: post #13
carlosjobim wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's 18 dollars I was willing to donate without anything in return, so that they maybe perhaps possibly would implement this feature. Which is a lot more money than 100% of FOSS users are willing to contribute. With paid apps you get exactly the features you pay for, you get customer support, and you get a fair and polite exchange. It is already a lot for people to swallow to be asked to donate in advance for a fea…

"I care enough to cast $18 of my cold hard earned cash into a black hole for altruistic purposes, but nay shall it be $20, as I am but a humble mortal"

Everybody has their limits of patience. When it comes to charity, you shouldn't annoy donors. It takes a microscopic amount of time for me to close their tab and forget about them. So fuck them.

Re: Help Me Help You, Maintainers

#15

Post by retrochameleon »

twp wrote: post #7

As the maintainer of several popular open source projects (e.g. https://chezmoi.io ), the forms of help I appreciate the most are: * User support. Answering questions in discussions, social media, and GitHub issues. This helps on multiple levels: it saves me time that I would otherwise have to spend, and builds a community around the project. * Documentation improvements. Better documentation means less user support…

Thanks for your work on Chezmoi! I've been using it for years. Straightforward tool with clear and concise documentation.

Re: Help Me Help You, Maintainers

#16

Post by drekipus »

carlosjobim wrote: post #14
drekipus wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"I care enough to cast $18 of my cold hard earned cash into a black hole for altruistic purposes, but nay shall it be $20, as I am but a humble mortal"

Everybody has their limits of patience. When it comes to charity, you shouldn't annoy donors. It takes a microscopic amount of time for me to close their tab and forget about them. So fuck them.

Closing the tab is enough, I don't think the "fuck them" is warranted.. fuck them for what? Not accepting less than $20?

Who gives a shit dude

Re: Help Me Help You, Maintainers

#17

Post by EdwardDiego »

carlosjobim wrote: post #10

I had the misfortune to yet again interact with the world of FOSS today. This is how it panned out: 1. Heard that something called Rustdesk is a good VNC solution. 2. Installed it on my host and client devices fine. The client is an Android tablet 3. Finger touch input works, but stylus input doesn't work. 4. Search the internet and find the GitHub issue 5. In it the developers at Rustdesk have responded "Fund it if…

$18? Big roller there lol. How much would you expect to be paid an hour to code?

Is it more than $18? And is the bug fixable in an hour?

Your sense of entitlement is like 98% of the reason FOSS developers burn out. GG champ.

Re: Help Me Help You, Maintainers

#18

Post by EdwardDiego »

carlosjobim wrote: post #12
4hg4ufxhy wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If that software has some thousand of users it has made a lot of money. Your report and the fix is in their best interest to stay competetive in the market. 18 dollars for a feature request pales in comparison. Even if it was a 1 line fix it wouldn't be economical work.

That's 18 dollars I was willing to donate without anything in return, so that they maybe perhaps possibly would implement this feature. Which is a lot more money than 100% of FOSS users are willing to contribute. With paid apps you get exactly the features you pay for, you get customer support, and you get a fair and polite exchange. It is already a lot for people to swallow to be asked to donate in advance for a fea…

Wow, I still can't get over your generous nature - $18 to fix an issue for you, you sir, are the veritable milk of human kindness.

Bloody hell, my teenager earns more than that for 1.5 hours of gardening.

I'm not sure if you're trolling, because if you're not, your concept of economic incentives is busted. Completely busted.

But hey, you avoiding FOSS is probably the best outcome for both you and FOSS maintainers, so I do appreciate your decision there.

Re: Help Me Help You, Maintainers

#19

Post by EdwardDiego »

carlosjobim wrote: post #14
drekipus wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"I care enough to cast $18 of my cold hard earned cash into a black hole for altruistic purposes, but nay shall it be $20, as I am but a humble mortal"

Everybody has their limits of patience. When it comes to charity, you shouldn't annoy donors. It takes a microscopic amount of time for me to close their tab and forget about them. So fuck them.

It's not charity though.

You're paying them in expectation of a return.

Charitable giving is exactly that - giving, with no expectation of return.

Re: Help Me Help You, Maintainers

#20

Post by carlosjobim »

EdwardDiego wrote: post #19
carlosjobim wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Everybody has their limits of patience. When it comes to charity, you shouldn't annoy donors. It takes a microscopic amount of time for me to close their tab and forget about them. So fuck them.

It's not charity though. You're paying them in expectation of a return. Charitable giving is exactly that - giving, with no expectation of return.

There is little expectation of return, the way they present it. Contrast that to actually purchasing software, where they are required by law to deliver what you pay for or give your money back.
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