6 ms·

If you're just some guy who writes and updates a piece of software for a living, what do you do then?

fsflover 6y ago
This is not a trivial question, but https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_models_for_open-source_software https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_models_for_open-sourc...
vertex-four 6y ago
You find people willing to pay for your work, not for a license. If your ongoing work is not worth anything, why should you be paid extra for work you did in the past?
- barking 6y ago
  >If your ongoing work is not worth anything, why should you be paid extra for work you did in the past? If you write a piece of software that took you a year to write but buyers are only willing to pay $500 for then do (A) live on $500 or (b) try to sell to many buyers including some in the future? You seem to be saying (b) is out of the question but if it is who will write the software these people wish to buy?
  - vertex-four 6y ago
    You can find multiple buyers before you write the software, you know - you don't have to have just one person paying you. If it's consumer software, things like Kickstarter or Patreon are how this is often done - if it's b2b, this is how a lot of software development is done anyway. Examples of software successfully funded via crowdfunding include Spine, Magit, and Diaspora - although Spine appears to be closed-source anyway. You can write an MVP, pitch it to potential clients, and write software that provides value to them. That's what I'm doing.
    - barking 6y ago
      But planning/hoping to sell copies in the future is unethical, is it?
      - fsflover 6y ago
        Why do you think so? Purism created its products using crowdfunding, i.e. they sold their devices (and free software on them) before anyting was created.
        barking 6y ago
        They're a device maker then
        fsflover 6y ago
        As I mentioned above, they also write free software for their devices. The price includes it.
        barking 6y ago
        Manufacturers commonly include software in their products but no one buys a Mercedes for its software.
        fsflover 6y ago
        In the particular case of Purism Librem 5 phone, many people decided to buy the device in order to support the development of free software for mobile phones. As opposite to the PinePhone, whose developers do not develop any software and rely on the "community developers".
        vertex-four 6y ago
        Really? If the car contained no software, people would still buy it over alternatives that contain software at various levels for a better driving experience, comfort, and entertainment?

This is not a trivial question, but https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_models_for_open-source_software https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_models_for_open-sourc...

vertex-four 6y ago

You find people willing to pay for your work, not for a license. If your ongoing work is not worth anything, why should you be paid extra for work you did in the past?

barking 6y ago
>If your ongoing work is not worth anything, why should you be paid extra for work you did in the past? If you write a piece of software that took you a year to write but buyers are only willing to pay $500 for then do (A) live on $500 or (b) try to sell to many buyers including some in the future? You seem to be saying (b) is out of the question but if it is who will write the software these people wish to buy?
- vertex-four 6y ago
  You can find multiple buyers before you write the software, you know - you don't have to have just one person paying you. If it's consumer software, things like Kickstarter or Patreon are how this is often done - if it's b2b, this is how a lot of software development is done anyway. Examples of software successfully funded via crowdfunding include Spine, Magit, and Diaspora - although Spine appears to be closed-source anyway. You can write an MVP, pitch it to potential clients, and write software that provides value to them. That's what I'm doing.
  - barking 6y ago
    But planning/hoping to sell copies in the future is unethical, is it?
    - fsflover 6y ago
      Why do you think so? Purism created its products using crowdfunding, i.e. they sold their devices (and free software on them) before anyting was created.
      - barking 6y ago
        They're a device maker then
        fsflover 6y ago
        As I mentioned above, they also write free software for their devices. The price includes it.
        barking 6y ago
        Manufacturers commonly include software in their products but no one buys a Mercedes for its software.
        fsflover 6y ago
        In the particular case of Purism Librem 5 phone, many people decided to buy the device in order to support the development of free software for mobile phones. As opposite to the PinePhone, whose developers do not develop any software and rely on the "community developers".
        vertex-four 6y ago
        Really? If the car contained no software, people would still buy it over alternatives that contain software at various levels for a better driving experience, comfort, and entertainment?