Or I can buy a machine which is not only supported, but actually works, with basic features and quality testing baked in. But that's not the point.

The point is that free software devs asking for a thank-you is like a dog owner asking for a thank-you when you don't step in their dog poop on the sidewalk. They weren't walking the dog for my benefit, and I'm not going to thank them for getting to walk around their crap.