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I Just Hit $100k/year On GitHub Sponsors

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Re: I Just Hit $100k/year On GitHub Sponsors

#481

Post by koheripbal »

flurdy wrote: post #470
koheripbal wrote: post #248

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't even see the point. If there's no enforcement of this law, why even bother with the illusion of legality? Just accept donations - and likely no one will ever bother coming after you.

Not sure you understand the Scandinavian/Nordic psyche. My non-Scandinavian girlfriend never understood why people pay for the bus there if they never get checked. Or why people bother to leave money in a little box at an unmanned coffee/waffle/etc stand in the middle of nowhere. But most do as it is the right thing to do, guilt free. And if there is a slight chance the tax authorities might contact him the guilt/emb…

This is different. In those examples, someone is getting screwed. In this case it's just a pointless bureaucracy that can be circumvented.

They aren't the same from an ethical perspective.

Re: I Just Hit $100k/year On GitHub Sponsors

#482

Post by O_H_E »

arximboldi wrote: post #471
sytelus wrote: post #249

I hate sponsorware concept OP is proposing. It seems to work for him but it’s opposite to the spirit of open source. His idea is that keep code secret until you find N sponsors. Further, he will hide important tutorials if you are not sponsor. I would hate to use this kind of open source project. Here is more viable freelancing: - create framework/library that everyone needs - for feature requests/bug fixes, prioriti…

That's how my sponsorship tiers are set up actually :) https://github.com/sponsors/arximboldi It doesn't seem to be working great though, at least on the page. I end up making a living through ad-hoc client work, which sometimes supports the open-source side as well.

Your arsenal of tools look impressive.

I am a little bit heartbroken it is not working out yet. Hoping you the best of luck.

Re: I Just Hit $100k/year On GitHub Sponsors

#483

Post by koheripbal »

throwaway0a5e wrote: post #473
koheripbal wrote: post #248

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't even see the point. If there's no enforcement of this law, why even bother with the illusion of legality? Just accept donations - and likely no one will ever bother coming after you.

>I don't even see the point. If there's no enforcement of this law, why even bother with the illusion of legality? Just accept donations - and likely no one will ever bother coming after you. This only works if you never piss anyone off, have no enemies and the government only stands to look bad from going after you. Obviously accepting donations in an illegal manner is a stupidly low hanging fruit for someone who wa…

This assumes the government would even care if someone reports it to them.

...which they probably wouldn't.

Re: I Just Hit $100k/year On GitHub Sponsors

#484

Post by O_H_E »

rsweeney21 wrote: post #74

Sponsoring the official screencasts/educational content for an open source project is a great idea. I run a company[1] that provides a service targeted at software engineers and I'd pay several hundred to several thousand a month to have a 30 second promo at the start of a video, depending on the size of the project. Is there a website out there where I can find content I can sponsor? Also, keep in mind that when you…

Although that doesn't sound like a bad idea, that is unfortunately not what he was talking about. By sponsors he meant patrons that get a perk of accessing screencasts when they subscribe (sponsor him).

Re: I Just Hit $100k/year On GitHub Sponsors

#485

Post by olingern »

Shorel wrote: post #334
sytelus wrote: post #249

I hate sponsorware concept OP is proposing. It seems to work for him but it’s opposite to the spirit of open source. His idea is that keep code secret until you find N sponsors. Further, he will hide important tutorials if you are not sponsor. I would hate to use this kind of open source project. Here is more viable freelancing: - create framework/library that everyone needs - for feature requests/bug fixes, prioriti…

You are free to hate and free not to use such a product. The truth is that many developers have taken the high road, and done the right thing, and they have been unable to make a living out of their open source efforts. I hate that the ecosystem is so weak the OP has to resort to this model, but I have nothing but sympathy for the OP.

+1, Parent comment comes off as devs owe others anything labeled “open source” but OP is not selling open source — it’s software that’s been paid for, made public.

The whole entitlement that devs and companies have around open source drives me crazy.

Re: I Just Hit $100k/year On GitHub Sponsors

#486

Post by vxNsr »

markdown wrote: post #438
jermaustin1 wrote: post #350

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not an accountant or tax lawyer, so this isn't advise, only my back of the envelope calculation, not even using things like the 172 deduction, or business expenses, but my estimate was actually way off almost double. Gross Income: $112k - SEP IRA 25%: -$28k - Owner Health Insurance: -$15k - 199-A Deduction (20%): -$12k Total business income for taxes: $47k - Married Filing Jointly Deduction: -$24k - Total taxable…

> Owner Health Insurance: -$15k WTF? Who pays $15k PER YEAR for health insurance? That's nuts. In most countries USD$15k would pay for healthcare for 2 or 3 people for their entire lives.

> In most countries USD$15k

is more than they make in their entire lives.

Trying to compare US COL to "most countries"

And if you wanna only look at western countries that's obviously demonstrably false.

Whatever people pay as part of the healthcare tax is gonna come out to about $15K for someone who is making $100K in most EU countries.

Re: I Just Hit $100k/year On GitHub Sponsors

#487

Post by poulsbohemian »

Ndymium wrote: post #132

Reading these makes me sad about the law in my country, Finland. The lowest tier of OP ($7 for no reward) would be illegal here. We have a law called "Money Collection act", which states that to gather donations (i.e. payments with nothing in return), you have to get a permit. This permit costs money, is not given to individuals, and is given only for non-profit activities. So this means that if you see a donation/sp…

What was the justification behind this law? Was it meant as some kind of consumer protection?

Re: I Just Hit $100k/year On GitHub Sponsors

#488

Post by poulsbohemian »

maxwelljoslyn wrote: post #303
wongarsu wrote: post #293

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think the confusion in this thread is that (in most of Western Europe) you automatically become a business (or even company) by the sole act of doing "business" (enterprise with the purpose of earning money), and once you cross some (small) threshold you have to register in some capacity. That can be a ~$20 bureaucratic act, compared to the ~$500 act of setting up a proper company. But of course at that point it va…

Thank you for explaining this. As an American, I was unaware.

I've always found it deliciously ironic that the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution both dealt with interstate commerce and set up the federal government as superseding the states in this regard... but then corporations are a state level entity not federal, complete with 50 states worth of regulations.

Re: I Just Hit $100k/year On GitHub Sponsors

#489

Post by gbacon »

wins32767 wrote: post #396
gbacon wrote: post #372

Earlier quoted context omitted.

“Luck is probability taken personally.” – Chip Denman I’m amazed at how many comments piled up insisting that luck is a major or possibly the most significant factor. Even if true, what a self-defeating outlook. Every accusation is a confession.

Perhaps consider that some people are talking about luck as a way of reasoning about how we should organize society (if luck is a factor that may imply stronger safety nets) while others (like you, I'd gather) are talking about how to approach one's own life? That's how I've been reasoning about the discussion and it helps clarify things.

What you wrote is insightful as to the underlying thinking, but I’m not sure I buy the premise. If luck is the dominating factor, how is the outcome of any election legitimate? Aren’t the winners merely the luckiest? Where’s the safety net for the unfortunate also-rans? Who are the rightful representatives to do the organizing? The questions are interesting because the ancient Athenians would reject what we call democracy due to our reliance on popular elections, which they viewed with suspicion as a tool of oligarchy. Although some posts were elected, they largely preferred sortition or luck of the draw.

Current and former gifted students are likely overrepresented on HN. Underachievement (whether real or perceived) is a source of stress or depression for this population[0], and defense mechanisms[1] are a common coping strategy. In [1], the authors define quadrants based on high or low success orientation and fear of failure.

1. Optimists - high success orientation, low fear of failure: low sense of helplessness

2. Overstrivers - high success orientation, high fear of failure: risk of burnout, tend to have high “defensive pessimism”

3. Acceptors - low success orientation, low fear of failure: tend to have low self esteem and high helplessness

4. Self-protectors - low success orientation, high fear of failure: tend to have high defensive pessimism and self-handicapping

They define defensive pessimism as “artificially lowering expectations of performance when a performance will be evaluated in order to lessen the hurt of failure and turn success into an unexpected surprise” and self-handicapping as “generating conditions that will produce an excuse for failure through actions such as procrastination, task avoidance, withholding effort, and other strategies.” They label both harmful.[0]

To this optimist, assigning everything to luck looks like all of helplessness, defensive pessimism, and self-handicapping: “I’m smarter than that bum, so his success must be due to dumb luck.”

[0]: https://digitalcommons.du.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=10...

[1]: https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2013-14500-001

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