but here's the absurdity of free software. you got someone spending thousands of hours writing it and releases it. then you got hordes of freeloaders who bitch and moan about missing features and bugs for something they didn't pay for.
So lot of developers try different ways like cyber-begging (donations), licensing, selling support which tends to only work for people who have reached critical mass where for majority of projects and software nobody bats an eye. and in closed free software (bundling malware, ads, annoying features). The latest is crowdfunding but some esoteric video compression library for some specific distro nobody is going to take out their wallet for.
people who never pay for shit are the ones that are the most abusive. it's fucking appalling and my own negative experience of open sourcing and of other developers have made it clear that software or code is never to be released for free unless your motive is to monetize it later.
So lot of developers try different ways like cyber-begging (donations), licensing, selling support which tends to only work for people who have reached critical mass where for majority of projects and software nobody bats an eye. and in closed free software (bundling malware, ads, annoying features). The latest is crowdfunding but some esoteric video compression library for some specific distro nobody is going to take out their wallet for.
people who never pay for shit are the ones that are the most abusive. it's fucking appalling and my own negative experience of open sourcing and of other developers have made it clear that software or code is never to be released for free unless your motive is to monetize it later.