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No Free Features

landshark.io

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Re: No Free Features

#81

Post by black_puppydog »

jefftk wrote: post #80
alangibson wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> report a bug I explicitly excluded bug reports in an earlier draft because those aren't generally considered 'changes', but rather fixes to previous changes. Looks like I should have left that in.

I think I still don't understand how you're thinking about it. When I report a bug or file a feature request, it seems to me that you would say I am asking the author to do some unpaid labor. That is, I am asking them to fix the bug or to add my feature. A bug report is requesting a fix to previous changes, yes, but isn't it still, in your view, a request for something in exchange for nothing? If you fix a bug for me…

However, other people, including the author, stand to gain from fixing a bug in features they use.

But of course there is blur there too; some bugs will require significant work and only benefit some small group of users. And sure you can still report those, but then you should (in my personal ideal world) not be surprised to hear "this will only matter if you're running this on enterprise scale, so wontfix unless paid to do so."

Re: No Free Features

#82

Post by gremlinsinc »

alangibson wrote: post #38
jefftk wrote: post #34

> I look forward to a day when asking anyone to do unpaid labor is considered unethical by our industry. That goes for feature requests on open source projects ... While I'm sure there are some open source developers who see feature requests as a burden, lots of us just want to make useful software. If someone lets me know about a way that icdiff or anything else I maintain could be better, I'm happy to hear it. I'm…

> extremely far from unethical to file a feature request. I'm suggesting that it is in fact an ethical problem to try to get something for nothing if you break it down. It's no different than walking into an artists shop and asking if you can just have a painting. It doesn't make you a terrible person, but I think it's a problematic norm. Now there's no requirement that the developer actually take the compensation (w…

Could the solution be to create a 'feature support branch', anyone with revenues under a threshold could still maybe get free access (say 100k per year), but businesses above that would need to buy an enterprise license. Basically dual-licensing it, so you get paid, but those who are trying to build side projects/etc and may or may not ever make $$ from it, still can experiment?

Re: No Free Features

#83

Post by atoz2020 »

alangibson wrote: post #64
atoz2020 wrote: post #53

You should join xscode

What's Xscode's value add beyond going to the developer directly and paying them by PayPal?

Everything the developer needs. Legal framework, a trusted 3rd party (from the user side), revenue share with other contributors, ability to manage dual-licensing for repos, and much more. the thing is, xs:code also makes it easier to BUY from the developer. and that what makes it work, for both sides.

Re: No Free Features

#86

Post by Fnoord »

Cthulhu_ wrote: post #85

Nitpick but important detail: > The gist is that Marak, who’s on the brink of homelessness after his apartment building caught fire It caught on fire likely because he was trying to make bombs: https://abc7ny.com/suspicious-package-queens-astoria-fire/64...

> They say 12 units and 60 firefighters responded to the scene.

Someone is paying the wage of all these people, and it isn't Marak. The irony.

Re: No Free Features

#87

Post by AnonUser57 »

alangibson wrote: post #38
jefftk wrote: post #34

> I look forward to a day when asking anyone to do unpaid labor is considered unethical by our industry. That goes for feature requests on open source projects ... While I'm sure there are some open source developers who see feature requests as a burden, lots of us just want to make useful software. If someone lets me know about a way that icdiff or anything else I maintain could be better, I'm happy to hear it. I'm…

> extremely far from unethical to file a feature request. I'm suggesting that it is in fact an ethical problem to try to get something for nothing if you break it down. It's no different than walking into an artists shop and asking if you can just have a painting. It doesn't make you a terrible person, but I think it's a problematic norm. Now there's no requirement that the developer actually take the compensation (w…

A feature request is not always "for nothing" - good feature requests provides developers with useful feedback, and good ideas on how to improve the software. Depending on the motivation for developing the software in the first place, a good idea on how to improve the software could be a sufficient reward in itself. E.g. imagine somebody in academia releasing the software to increase the visibility of their research, or some other situation where getting credit is sufficient reward.
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