Open source product is a marketing tool
vitonsky.net
Big tech companies invest a lot of effort to sell us the point that every good programmer must have their own open source project. Many programmers have open source side projects, but quite few of them can explain why they waste their time on it. As a result, they work for free, to make big tech rich. Actually, open source can't make money for programmers, but may be useful as a promotion tool for them.
  • Quetzalcutlass@lemmy.worldEnglish
    3·
    3 months ago

    Many programmers who start working on new personal open source projects wrongly assume that building something cool guarantees users, fans, and revenue will follow. Maybe it’s because they have seen too many cool stories of influencers on Twitter and believe it is true.

    It’s statements like these that remind me just how different the internet is for some people. I don’t think I’ve ever strayed far outside of the “look at this cool thing I made!” parts of the open source community. The idea of chasing fame and monetization isn’t really a thing in those circles, let alone “influencers” shilling content like that.

    • massive_bereavement@fedia.io
      1·
      3 months ago

      Most successful projects I’ve seen are: I needed/wanted X, so I made X and now I’m sharing it with you so you can use it and maybe help me out.

  • footfaults@lemmygrad.mlEnglish
    1·
    3 months ago

    This is the same as people who don’t want to pay artists for their work and just say they get paid in “exposure”

    If you are using open source as a company, you should pay the maintainers money, either through hiring them or directly funding the development.

    I donate money to the pieces of software I use every day, because I’m in a position as an individual to, but there are lots of companies that are free riding

  • Ephera@lemmy.mlEnglish
    1·
    3 months ago

    Many people enjoy programming, you know. I’ve got like ten reasonably-sized projects and I haven’t posted about them anywhere. Because I built them to scratch my own itch, both in terms of functionality I could use and the itch to build something, no matter what it is. I’m not wasting my time, because I’m doing something I enjoy.

    • pinball_wizard@lemmy.zip
      1·
      3 months ago

      Same here. Bold of anyone else to assume that I want to share my open source project. I don’t mind if someone finds it, but it’ll be a cold day in hell before I promote it. Haha.

    • who@feddit.orgEnglish
      1·
      3 months ago

      Prelude to most of my projects:

      1. I want a tool that does X, with conditions Y, and without Z.
      2. I search for such a tool, and discover that it doesn’t exist.
      3. I build it myself.

      Epilogue:

      I now have exactly the tool I wanted. It makes my life better all day, every day, with no foreseeable end.

      Happy user.