Re:Why we never thank open source maintainers
by freshhawk on Thursday November 23, 2017 @05:43PM
(#15768302)
This is an important distinction to make.
If those users are mad because you won't do free work for them they are entitled jerks.
If those users are mad because your marketing made promises it doesn't keep and they wasted their time learning/installing/integrating your project based on lies, you are the jerk.
Some open source projects are aware of the number of users but focus on getting contributors, so that they can make the product better. They are sharing the workload of solving a common problem so others can stand on their shoulders.
Some focus on user numbers, because then they can be famous, or they have a connected business that will make more money.
These are groups that will work very differently and respond to users differently. They have simply chosen similar software licenses.
If those users are mad because you won't do free work for them they are entitled jerks.
If those users are mad because your marketing made promises it doesn't keep and they wasted their time learning/installing/integrating your project based on lies, you are the jerk.
Some open source projects are aware of the number of users but focus on getting contributors, so that they can make the product better. They are sharing the workload of solving a common problem so others can stand on their shoulders.
Some focus on user numbers, because then they can be famous, or they have a connected business that will make more money.
These are groups that will work very differently and respond to users differently. They have simply chosen similar software licenses.