Why Open Source and Give Software Away?

In my experience with an open source project, donations are extremely rare, everyone just wants everything for free.

I don't think the people who say everything should be open source say that because they want everything for free. The main reason people want software to be open source is to be able to make sure that it isn't malware and that they can trust the tools they use.

A piece of software being open source isn't the deciding factor for me, like if software A is proprietary and has more features which I need and software B is open source and doesn't have them then I'm going to pick software A. However, if both software A and B I would use the same feature set across them both then I'd pick the open source version

Obviously both open and closed source have their advantages and disadvantages and I'll gladly pay for a closed source program if it meets my needs. I also don't mind closed source forks of open source projects (Chrome is a good example). And while I'm the last person to ever say "there oughtta be a law" I do believe that all social media software and algorithms should be required to be open source just for the sake of protecting the public from whatever nefarious crap Big Tech (and the CCP) are up to.

what i like about open source is transparency , and being sure that my data / privacy is safe i like some closed source software but sometimes i see them as scam with violating some privacy or charging overexagerated amount of money for support and licence , i can list ORACLE and SAP for the "support" and windows for privacy but for example Redhat and Suse are doing good imo, and a lot of web services that charge some money for the hosting are fine too even some small programs with one purchase and not a lifetime subscription are good

Thanks , mixing between open and closed source can help a lot.

Things that need/should to be FOSS: -Any sort of library/Framework in software development -Packaging, Compiling and Codec Software -Anything even remotely concerning with security, encryption, cryptography -Anything using Blockchain Technology Things that can't realistically be FOSS: -Anti-Piracy/Anti-Tampering Protections -Anti-Cheating Software/ Netcode of Online Games -Software running on weapons (ICBM, Targeting Systems, Radar Systems, Fighter Jet Autopilots ...) -Incredibly Expensive to develop Software (big Neural Networks, AAA Games, Civilian Rocket Software, Manufacturing Maschine Software)

Working on open source projects also allow an inexperienced developer to build up a "portfolio" of work that they've done that they can then show to a prospective employer who, because it's open source, can validate what they are claiming. It's a really powerful way for a young person to get their foot in the door and there are so many projects out there that there's always some way to contribute and get brownie points for.

Open source because is open..free. anyone can see what's going on and make his changes..God save Dev's..

Hey Chris, I like your position on this issue. Great video. You still ROCK!

Todays programmers should be happy for open source today. In the 80's all software compilers were close sourced. You had to purchase all compilers in order to write code if you wanted to go beyond basic unless you knew machine language. Today you have all resources you need to learn coding and start making software without spending a dime.

I learned so much from reading open source code and contributing to it early in my career which led me to where I'm at right now (Eng Manager at FAANG) so I'm very much PRO open source.

Open source taught me docker, nodejs, devops, packaging. Knowledge is only reason one needs for loving Foss projects. Ofcourse, the team behind, also matters. There have been many times where maintainer just blocked me because I asked them to teach me how to properly contribute to their project.

If you have a super good software, close it and sell it. If you are super good at support, sell your service and give WHAT you support away for free 😎 Basically what SuSE GmbH, Canonical, RedHat etc do. 💪

Hi Chris (or anyone), a small question that's been bugging me. Your video about Obsidian led me to start using it; great program, thanks. I'm just curious because it's the first program I've come across that doesn't seem to need a "save" button...does it save automatically? does it somehow not need to save because 'markup'? what's going on? I still can't help pressing Ctrl-S, but wondering why it's different.

Amazing video! What do you think about Apple way, apple software and OS?

You do good work keep it up.

Thanks for the video! Now it is more clare for me!

I do not use any closed-source software wherever that is possible. So for example, on my main workstation and all of my other general-purpose PCs, there's no closed-source software at all. My phone runs Android, so unfortunately it's not practical to avoid all closed-source software. Same with consumer electronics... you sometimes can't get away from closed-source software. The reason I won't use closed-source software if I can help it is that I don't trust it. Closed-source software might be spying on you. Its publisher might unilaterally switch from a purchase model to a subscription model to suck more money out of you. If it breaks, you can't fix it. And as a bonus, my annual software licensing budget is $0.00. The lack-of-trust reasons are also why I won't have any IOT devices in my house. They're notorious for terrible security, invasiveness, and turning into bricks if the company decides not to support them or going out of business. With open-source software, no third-party can brick your device. I'm also a software developer, and I work on several open-source projects. I do this because it's fun, because it creates community, and because it does in some small way give back for all the amazing open-source software that I use.

Open source is very good for a project funded by institutions or a hobby or without profit project. It's not a feasible business model unless there is other income.