Post 9uCN8ev3cIRQM5PMiu by namark@qoto.org
 (DIR) More posts by namark@qoto.org
 (DIR) Post #9uAPKJpdek7c1Mdp4q by humanetech@mastodon.social
       2020-04-18T09:44:30Z
       
       0 likes, 1 repeats
       
       What is your experience with #crowdfunding and #donations ..Is it feasible that a person's work on #foss projects or other #community work fully sustains their income?What are your insights & strategies? Your feedback and experiences are most welcome 😀
       
 (DIR) Post #9uArRfMqmb5lYYT3a4 by AMDmi3@fosstodon.org
       2020-04-18T12:51:51Z
       
       0 likes, 0 repeats
       
       @humanetech"Fully sustaining ones income with #foss project" is nothing other than turning that project into commercial one, and this is never a good thing.
       
 (DIR) Post #9uArRfZxzpaGDEbX1c by namark@qoto.org
       2020-04-18T16:56:03Z
       
       0 likes, 0 repeats
       
       @AMDmi3 That is false. Most programmers are paid for R&D, they are not paid for marketing, or sales, or some perverted notion of production, or exploiting customers or anything else specific to an average closed source commercial project. They can be paid just as well and just as much to do the same on foss projects, it is the rest of the industry that need to shift to a more customer centric model, and that will happen eventually as more and more people become aware of the issues, and as the issues themselves become more severe. As of crowdfunding today, you can only do it if you become well known/popular enough. Obviously there is no formula for that, and most people won't "qualify". Doesn't hurt to try though, as much as you can afford, keeping in mind that you are looking for people to fund you and your R&D, not providing a service or selling a product (I mean you could in addition, but that's not what programing specifically is).@humanetech
       
 (DIR) Post #9uB27zwpefNt5b7cmG by sean@social.deadsuperhero.com
       2020-04-18T18:55:43.039517Z
       
       0 likes, 0 repeats
       
       @humanetech some people are able to do it, and the situation is definitely improving.It's still a challenge for many. Tools for fundraising are often limited to scopes of singular projects, or otherwise serve as traditional crowdfunding campaigns like #Kickstarter, which entails rewards for contributions.A lot of popular FOSS projects are able to garner some regular donations for things, but it's often a fraction of users that are contributing funds, and also a result of streamlined coordinated campaigning on behalf of the projects. There are often multiple revenue streams set up between OpenCollective, Patreon, and LiberaPay, and some projects such as Krita will also do a Kickstarter.I actually worked at BackerKit for a long time, so if you'd like me to talk about traditional crowdfunding campaigns vs the Patreon model ones, I'd be happy to share some insights.
       
 (DIR) Post #9uB28rG9RZKUQrZIkS by humanetech@mastodon.social
       2020-04-18T13:19:38Z
       
       1 likes, 0 repeats
       
       @AMDmi3 okay, but doesn't that imply that one cannot dedicate oneself 100% to a #foss project, unless they are fortunate enough to have the wealth to do so?
       
 (DIR) Post #9uBgZX7ERUTRwUfeiW by AMDmi3@fosstodon.org
       2020-04-19T02:28:58Z
       
       0 likes, 0 repeats
       
       @namarkProgrammers are not paid for some abstract R&D, they are paid for working on a commercial product, and only while it's profitable. And commercial products have inherent evil properties some of which you've listed. There's no third way - any step towards profit it a step away from making high quality product which helps people.@humanetech
       
 (DIR) Post #9uCN8ev3cIRQM5PMiu by namark@qoto.org
       2020-04-19T10:25:57Z
       
       0 likes, 0 repeats
       
       @AMDmi3 Not sure what you mean by abstract R&D. The difference between R&D and something like production, is that it is in no way directly correlated with profits. You can spend years on R&D with no tangible results, or make a breakthrough within a month. What's happening now (as far as software development goes) is that people are betting on a breakthrough to market and exploit it to the maximum (they also often do that with fads, cause it doesn't really matter when it comes to marketing and exploitation). Just because you can't think of another way, doesn't mean it's impossible. Software sells hardware, it makes services/systems, that are otherwise impossible, possible, and even more crazy things like currency. That's ample of reasons for various corporations, governments, individuals or communities to invest in R&D, and none of it requires compromises in quality or exploitation of end users. It is so possible that is is happening even in the current climate, where misinformation is normalized to such a degree people apparently can't see past it even when it is pointed out. TLDR: no, commercial practises that are common with software today are not natural law, or at least no more than snake oil is.  @humanetech