Yeah, I just can't get excited by anything this foundational that has monetization plans. While neovim is a pain to configure and will probably never be a polished "product", it's completely free to use, with no weird monetization features that might start out in good faith, but slowly creep into must-have parts of the software.
I'm perfectly willing to pay for some types of software, but for something as fundamental as my text editor, I want a model that doesn't depend on a company that needs money. That may sound a bit backward, as it otherwise depends on the goodwill of volunteer contributors, but that's the model I prefer and actually believe in.
Build a big enough userbase for big tech to want to buy it. It's the
only game left outside ads. Worked for WhatsApp, Instagram, Github,
Kaggle, etc.
> We envision Zed as a free-to-use editor, supplemented by subscription-based, optional network features, such as:
>
> Channels and calls
> Chat
> Channel notes
>
> We plan to allow offer our collaboration features to open source teams, free of charge.
Edit: Nevermind, found it - https://zed.dev/faq#how-will-you-make-money. Interesting charter.
Edit 2: They have apparently also already raised money via private equity. I am quiet soured on "free" products which will almost always be enshittified as the pressure to turn profit grows.