Paying for free software

Booo! Use Calvin & Hobbes instead of this fascist shitstain.
- Show me the meme generator I can use for that and I'll do it
  
  https://imgflip.com/memegenerator/482493120/Calvin--Hobbes-change-my-mind
  Here you go sir. Just for future reference.
  
  Paint.net
- So, I'm pretty much always out of the loop. What the hell did this guy do to get that label?
  
  Ooooh boy... This is Steven Crowder. Not only has he shown multiple times to hold far right views and platforming people who identify as white supremacists (most notably Stefan Malynuex and the guy who founded the proud boys) he has also been shown on camera abusing his wife.
  He is anti-semitic, anti-abortion, anti-divorce (specifically so he can control his wife more), and very pro-gun and pro-white people.
  Other than that he's just another great example of a failed entertainer turning to the right wing griftiverse in order to make money.
  What a fucking loser...
  
  He's a right-wing podcaster and meatspace video troll.
  His sole piece of merchandise reads "Socialism is for Fgs." Verbatim.
  He claims it says "figs."

That asshole doesn't deserve a meme, cmm.
Just use Calvin.
- Seriously! I really don't want to see this nazi fuckface any more.
- Which meme generator do you suggest?
  
  Photopea - free browser Photoshop
  
  I mean, we are talking free software here, so how about one posted to Lemmy the other day: https://github.com/Fredolx/meme-maker

You should donate to free software you like because you like it.
___________________________________
Change my mind.
- But I don't want to change your mind

We should stop using memes of a hateful and abusive douche
- Just curious, who is this guy, sounds like you knew about the original picture? I've been curious
  
  steven crowder, a far-right talking head who moves in the same circles as Ben Shapiro, Jordan Peterson, etc. if rush limbaugh was vader then crowder is kylo ren.
- Why?
  And I do mean that honestly, it's not like he's empowered by people making memes of him. He receives no benefit, there is no gain. If I used Hitler in a meme because he made a funny face, that isn't an endorsement of his actions or beliefs, sometimes a meme is just a meme.
  
  I know you weren't asking me, but to chime in, it's safer to say that the circumstances of memeing are actually way more complex than we give credit. I'd argue that it's rarely the case that a meme is just a meme. Situations where an event or a person becomes a meme can be totally misinterpreted, reinterpreted or otherwise change from reality. Memes are used tools, many times as propaganda, and who is in a meme possibly, does have an effect. Memeing is actually a big complex part of the human experience! Especially since proliferation of the internet.
  Anyway, it's interesting to think about.
- With how few pixels left of his face this has, is it really still of this douche?

there is plenty open source software, that you can buy. There are many modes:
you buy the support (redhead)
you buy the long-term-support (ubuntu)
you pay for backports to old releases (keycloak iirc)
there is a open source version, and you can pay for enterprise features and hosting (gitlab)
there is an open source version, and you pay for customization (star office, iirc)
and my personal favorit:
you pay a random developer to submit pullrequests for bugs that are relevant to you
- I just woke up and never heard of redhead and immediately thought, "Damn is that why I struck out with that girl?"
- This is all true, but it's interesting how people often forget another simple option: the software is commercial - it is simply sold on some website/store. Just like you can buy the game Mindustry on Steam, but it is Libre Software and even though you can get the build for free on GitHub and its itch.io page, people still pay for the Steam version. I wonder why people forget about this option, since it's probably the simplest one.
  Of course, Steam is a proprietary, unethical platform, so I'm just using it as an example - I'm not saying we should sell there.
  
  Tbf, of all unfair platforms, steam is one of the fairest. Humane at least.
  
  Ironically, Steam is one of the platforms with the most free games, but yes, I hate it with all my heart, since many years ago I bought the game Portal on CD, to realize that it required a Steam account to be able to play it. Furthermore, the same thing happens with the other games they provide, adding that they require downloading the client, which is loaded along with the game, unnecessarily spending resources, apart from the fact that it is slow as hell to open. With GOG more of the same, apart from the fact that it bores you with spam emails, the worst EPIC, which also requires complete personal data for registration. I miss the old days, when you went to the store, bought the game CD and in peace.
  
  thanks. I forgot about that. But I'd like to add, that this models kind of feels like "donations with extra steps" to me. i.e. you can get it for free, but you choose to pay the developer even though you have to.
  
  The best example that comes to mind is Ardour, a FOSS digital audio workstation that charges for binaries. Their FAQ says
  If you want the convenience of using our ready-to-run version and/or for support from Ardour developers and experienced users, we ask that you pay something for this.
  If you don't want to pay for a ready-to-run version, then you'll need to get the source code and build it yourself. We do not provide assistance with this process and particularly on Windows and macOS this can be challenging and take a long time. Also, for Windows, there are no instructions.
  It’s a bit mixed in with the “pay for support” model, since you’re basically on your own if you build it yourself. Which probably makes support a lot easier, since there are fewer supported configurations. This seems like a pretty workable model for something as complex as Ardour, but idk how well it would work for simpler projects.
  think it also helps that Ardor is used directly by individual users, and its proprietary competitors are often quite expensive. If you’re making something that already has a lot of “free as in beer” competition, this may be harder to pull off.
- There are a lot of Freemium and Paid OpenSource, eg.Proton (Mail, VPN, Drive, etc) the first which came to my mind.

Downvote cause calvin should have been used instead

Id pay taxes to support open source projects.
- Those in the EU do with NLNet! (Although arguably not nearly enough)
  
  Yeah def not enough. It's funny how governments and companies are willing to pay overpriced proprietary software that even comes with no or horrible support, but when they use OSS they hardly contribute and sometimes even get great support via github. But sometimes that's also the other way around. You pay for expensive license and get shitty support even if it's OSS. Looking at you Teleport
  
  As European, thatvis not true in my case! (I get funded by them)

Stop using this bigot's picture to smug up a lukewarm take.
- Spicy but true.
- Nah, keep using it so we can point and laugh at the moron.
  
  Eight fucking years of fascists' jeering faces every god-damn day is more than enough, thanks very much.

Fuck Steven Crowder. He does not deserve this meme format.
- You sure I can't change your mind there buddy?

https://join-lemmy.org/donate

They don't always make it easy though. I'm not signing up for Patreon just to donate a one time amount.
- What ways do you recommend?
  I like Patreon because I trust it and it provides a subscription-like service. And having a way to communicate and engage is really nice.
  But the "buy me a coffee" and the direct PayPal, I'm rarely getting any kudos.
  
  You can try librepay
  
  Direct PayPal is my preference, but I know PayPal does dumb things with people's money sometimes.
  
  This is not for everyone, but I like when they post their crypto wallet address, because then I can send them money anonymously (especially if it's Monero), it can be a one time donation and I don't have to create an account on some website.
- I know, it's a real pain sometimes.

winrar wrote this
- Confusing free as in freedom with gratis there
  
  They said "free" and I elected to interpret that in the way that allowed me to make a little joke
  
  WinRaR is not in prison, so it's free
- WinRar is proprietary

The cost of switching to an unfamiliar Interface and workflow is high enough, charging money to do it will further increase the barrier to entry.
Paying for open source software sounds good on paper, but if it is required, the software will never accumulate the users to make the development have any meaning.
There has to be a "try it before you buy it" too. Otherwise the permutations of scams are obvious and nobody will fall for that. Idk how you would prove that the software works, without giving an actual copy of the software.
Also, legalities between different countries. You will just not get your money back from "trustworthy nigerian software dev who just needs 50$ to give you some software".
So no.
Do donate if you can though. If you value the software you use, you will pretty obviously recognize the utility and the cost to you, should it go away.
- You could go the Grayjay approach and have it be "paid" software but not stop you from using it without pay, not even anything other than a small buy button which stays until you pay.
  
  That is most likely going to generate less revenue than promoting donations, or a comparable amount at best. WinRAR is the meme example.
  From a PR and marketing perspective, if I wanted to maximize my revenue as a single developer I would set up a Patreon or encourage recurring donations through the software by providing bragging rights stuff (merch, insider access, early access to unfinished builds and so on). Single mandatory payments simply reproduce the piracy/license access of commercial software and shaming people into paying without coercion just makes you seem less appealing to people who would donate anyway.
  
  Grayjay is proprietary software. The license doesn't allow you to for example edit its source code: https://gitlab.futo.org/videostreaming/grayjay/-/blob/master/LICENSE
  So it's denying you at least one of the 4 essential freedoms.
- Paying for open source software sounds good on paper, but if it is required, the software will never accumulate the users to make the development have any meaning.
  Based on what you said, I'm not sure what you mean by "open source", but Free Software gives you the right to distribute the program (https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.en.html#four-freedoms). So anyone who owns a copy can legally share it with you. There are commercial Free Software projects. The game Mindustry is one example.
  
  The game Mindustry is one example.
  Yes. And as you can see it has 14k reviews on steam while factorio has 141k reviews.
  It's also a game, so there is no productivity gain or loss associated with it. There is no on call IT support, but you also don't need any and if something breaks, you lose nothing except the ability to play THIS game for a short while. It's not a... webserver you run your online shop through where every hour of downtime costs you X hundreds of euros or dollars.
  The game was also made by what looks like one guy. It's not, you know libre office. With hundreds and thousands of contributors and a huge problem of how to distribute the money.
  Of course you're allowed to distribute it. And of course you're allowed to charge for it. But realistically, nearly nobody would use it.

I am interested in paying donations to free and open source software I regularly use and have into my workflow. I will completely ignore your project if you make me deal with license keys. The Grayjay method is ok but would prefer that code and buttons not be dedicated to getting in my way. I hope that the mentality of paying for what you use becomes more common in FOSS culture so that prompts aren't needed.
That said if your broke, don't dontate. Take advantage of it being free and when you get a good job again, then consider helping out the developers.
In recent personal experience, I recently changed the motherboard on my Winblows VR gaming PC and It wouldn't recognize my legit product key anymore. I don't have patience for DRM shit so I activated it with KMS. Activation keys are a pain in the arse.
I emphasized It's use for VR gaming just in case someone tries to sell me on the Linux Proton compatibility system. Someday soon steamVR will hopefully have good compatibility and I will give it a go. However I will always at minimum be stuck with windows on a secondary ssd as I have some Oculus games I also like and Oculus+revive will likely never work under Linux.
- I should add that I am broke myself so it's a bit high and mighty of me to say people should donate when I have not done so yet.
  I have started by at least supporting game developers on Steam. Mostly indie to medium size studio ones. Again, I can't stand the AAA game DRM key crap.
  
  I have started by at least supporting game developers on Steam.
  Steam puts DRM in games and requires proprietary software (the Steam client), so you should consider not buying there at all. GOG's client is also proprietary, but its optional and there is a free alternative called Heroic Games Launcher. Itch.io has a libre client (also optional). As far as I know games on those two platforms are DRM-free.
- Grayjay is proprietary. Its license doesn't allow you for example to modify the source code, which is one of the 4 essential freedoms. Programs that don't give you all of those freedoms are not Free Software.
  https://gitlab.futo.org/videostreaming/grayjay/-/blob/master/LICENSE

It would be nice if I could quit making proprietary software for a living. Maybe some day I will try making some commercial libre software and will see how it goes.

Yes but I'm broke lol