Email Encryption Software Relies on One Guy, Who Is Going Broke • Hacker News Board

Re: Email Encryption Software Relies on One Guy, Who Is Going Broke

#421

Post by 72deluxe » Fri, Feb 06, 2015, 10:00 AM UTC

fivedogit wrote: post #83

hf wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You are using Ubuntu, I see from your profile. How much have you paid them? This is how the stories goes: we haven't figured out how to make good work worthwhile. Perhaps we can learn something from our vast experience in profitably peddling shit?

We're our own worst enemies. Software developers have this sort of circular firing squad where nobody wants to be the first to keep their source closed and try to charge for it. Because then you're just "greedy" and not pure enough. But that'll never change unless all of a sudden we say "Ok, on the count of 3, everybody stop giving away their hard-earned expertise for free. 1... 2... 3..." We're like musicians nowada…

I see the encouragement to switch to an open source model a lot too. When a closed-source or close-licensed project is posted, you get a few commenters saying how great it'd be if the project was open source because then the community would benefit. Call me a cynic but in reality, this likely means "please make the source and licence more open so that I can use it without paying you".

I say this because I know that when I am looking for libraries to use at work in commercial software, I have to look for BSD-style code and now actively steer clear from GPL and LGPL code (static builds for me please).

It isn't to be malicious but it's mainly because I would like to continue living. Giving away things I have spent years working on doesn't pay my mortgage or put food on the table.

Re: Email Encryption Software Relies on One Guy, Who Is Going Broke

#422

Post by 72deluxe » Fri, Feb 06, 2015, 10:01 AM UTC

tdicola wrote: post #377

seizethecheese wrote: post #306

Apparently Stripe and Facebook just stepped in to pledge $50K/year each. https://twitter.com/stripe/status/563449352635432960

That's awesome, but it's weird to me that Facebook, etc. will happily pay a senior engineer a total compensation of $200k+ yet only pledge $50k for the maintainer of a critical tool. Not trying to look a gift horse in the mouth here, just odd perception of the priorities here.

Out of interest, what does this senior engineer have to do? Is it C++ or PHP?

EDIT: Someone downvoted me, not sure why, but I am genuinely curious what the senior engineer does?

Re: Email Encryption Software Relies on One Guy, Who Is Going Broke

#423

Post by DanBC » Fri, Feb 06, 2015, 10:02 AM UTC

72deluxe wrote: post #420

notsony wrote: post #383

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Over the next three years, the Linux Foundation will receive a combined total of $3.9 million from Google, Intel, Amazon and others to fund core infrastructure projects such as OpenSSL. Sounds good until you take a step back... > Intel will invest "$300 million to help improve the pipeline for women and minorities, actively support the hiring and retention of diverse candidates, and fund programs that support the pos…

It's interesting with the Outreach programme in GNOME (I think that's what it's called), because if you periodically look at planet.gnome.org, there are interesting things going on with developers within that outreach programme. But there are also justified backlashes to the programme, given that there is a perceived priority given to the programme in some areas instead of writing software. The argument is that not e…

> You don't see such pushes in dentistry, the car industry or anything like that; "Are you a WOMAN? Then join the car industry!".

Yes you do. Every single fucking time this comes up someone says "you don't see this in construction". It's rebutted every time it comes up and it's really fucking easy to do a simple web search to find examples of programmes to get men into teaching or nursing or to get women or minorities into construction.

Example links have been posted to HN many times.

Re: Email Encryption Software Relies on One Guy, Who Is Going Broke

#424

Post by 72deluxe » Fri, Feb 06, 2015, 10:02 AM UTC

mwsherman wrote: post #68

The question is the wrong one. The better question is: why does so much software choose to depend on an underfunded library?

Because they can get the source and not have to pay a penny for it? For businesses, that's a good selling point.

Re: Email Encryption Software Relies on One Guy, Who Is Going Broke

#425

Post by drodgers » Fri, Feb 06, 2015, 10:02 AM UTC

"Mihai'); DROP TABLE Donors" (from the donors page) is an asshole.

Re: Email Encryption Software Relies on One Guy, Who Is Going Broke

#426

Post by stesch » Fri, Feb 06, 2015, 10:07 AM UTC

stesch wrote: post #342

bndr wrote: post #326

I would like to repost a comment from reddit[1] that makes some good points: "That title is pretty laughable. Enterprise E-Mail Encryption solutions do NOT use gnupg, and most enterprise customers do not even use openpgp, they use X.509/SMIME. I know the world top 10 server side enterprise e-mail encryption solutions and the majority uses java with either bouncycastle or ajak encryption, for PGP or openssl/bouncycast…

The complete post (not just this comment) was removed. The post had more comments and votes than another (dupe) post but was still removed. (removed) Post with many comments and votes: http://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/2uw2gt/the_worl... Post with less comments and votes (at the time): http://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/2uvzpa/the_worl...

Now both posts to /r/programming are removed.

Re: Email Encryption Software Relies on One Guy, Who Is Going Broke

#427

Post by olla » Fri, Feb 06, 2015, 10:34 AM UTC

I think we need a change in the way we look at open source software. It must not necessarily be free of charge. The real benefits of open source are often something other than being free of charge, like in this case. Maybe we need a new licence allowing charge for commercial use and giving benefits or discounts on the amount of contribution made to the project?

Re: Email Encryption Software Relies on One Guy, Who Is Going Broke

#428

Post by ptaipale » Fri, Feb 06, 2015, 10:37 AM UTC

jsonne wrote: post #303

malandrew wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Me too. This software is too important to not have someone dedicated to it full time. I left a note that he (like the EFF and the ACLU) should have a recurring donation option, or at least an option to receive a once yearly email asking for a donation. There are many people that would happily go with a recurring donation if that option were available.

A patreon would be a good option. I would happily give $1 a month

Yep, but on the other hand it is probably better to give $20 every two years. Less transaction cost.

Re: Email Encryption Software Relies on One Guy, Who Is Going Broke

#429

Post by ptaipale » Fri, Feb 06, 2015, 10:43 AM UTC

zanny wrote: post #359

a3n wrote: post #220

Earlier quoted context omitted.

At 53 years old and $25,000/year, he almost certainly has not prepared for any reasonably comfortable or safe/secure retirement (not knowing anything else about his personal life). There will come a point where he simply cannot work. He must take care of himself first . Or, to put it another way, if he doesn't take care of himself, then he'll reach a point where he can no longer take care of GPG, much less any depend…

He lives in Germany, I imagine they have some form of a state retirement program. I'm actually curious now of how many first world countries are as backwards as the US where if you retire without any personal savings you are extremely screwed.

You are not that much better off in Germany or generally North Europe, because pensions are earned through payments during career (three pillars: tax-like mandatory contribution, voluntary contribution, and thirdly a private insurance), and if you are not able to accumulate that kind of savings (which in some cases are more like "years worked for system" than actual money saved) then your old-age pension is going to be not entirely unlike the old-age social security in the U.S.

Re: Email Encryption Software Relies on One Guy, Who Is Going Broke

#430

Post by wooger » Fri, Feb 06, 2015, 11:16 AM UTC

72deluxe wrote: post #420

notsony wrote: post #383

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Over the next three years, the Linux Foundation will receive a combined total of $3.9 million from Google, Intel, Amazon and others to fund core infrastructure projects such as OpenSSL. Sounds good until you take a step back... > Intel will invest "$300 million to help improve the pipeline for women and minorities, actively support the hiring and retention of diverse candidates, and fund programs that support the pos…

It's interesting with the Outreach programme in GNOME (I think that's what it's called), because if you periodically look at planet.gnome.org, there are interesting things going on with developers within that outreach programme. But there are also justified backlashes to the programme, given that there is a perceived priority given to the programme in some areas instead of writing software. The argument is that not e…

Didn't GNOME almost go bust last year and hold an emergency donation drive, due entirely to granting too many paid internships (or similar) to people who aren't established GNOME developers, or even programmers?