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   kravietz 🦇 (kravietz@agora.echelon.pl)'s status on Tuesday, 09-Jul-2024 00:22:14 JST kravietz 🦇

   Few things piss me off more than a huge, multi-billion IT corporation that suddenly sends me an email regarding an open-source project I’ve been running since 1990’s that I’ve recently shut down due to absolute lack of interest from its users… which happened to be telcos and large IT companies. Here’s what I replied:

   Thank you for your email. As it’s often the case with open-source projects, their value to organisations is only noticed and appreciated when they go offline. I have maintained pam_tacplus for the last years and it had the call for sponsorship prominently displayed for most of the time specifically because it’s a legacy project that is difficult to maintain. None of the commercial companies that clearly do rely on it ever demonstrated any interest in even nominal donations, so it was archived. While it’s notable someone finally noticed it, I’m not the person to discuss any future development any more.

   I did work in large companies and I do understand the sick logic that drives them, when it’s easier to get approval for annual spending of $50k for some office decorations than $100 for a mission-critical project which happens to be open-source and can be used for free for some time.

   But it’s possible. If you’re working in such roles, please make every effort to get this $100 because otherwise it will become your responsibility to develop and maintain code that you always got for free.

   • Haelwenn /элвэн/ :triskell: likes this.
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     Ondřej Surý (ondrej@mastodon.rfc1925.org)'s status on Tuesday, 09-Jul-2024 01:39:04 JST Ondřej Surý

     in reply to

     • Gueule d'atmosphère

     @gueuledatmosphere @kravietz Or perhaps, as open source maintainers, we don’t have to play this game? If you depend on the open source project to make a profit, you should support it. The whole “find a reason” to pay for support in a way that creates more work for the maintainer, is not really helpful. The money should come as support not as SoW…

     Haelwenn /элвэн/ :triskell: likes this.
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     Gueule d'atmosphère (gueuledatmosphere@mastodon.green)'s status on Tuesday, 09-Jul-2024 01:39:05 JST Gueule d'atmosphère

     in reply to

     @kravietz
     As you point out it can be difficult on administrative grounds for organizations or businesses to make a donation outright. One approach that worked for me as a (now retired) manager, and I mention it for readers who may be in a position to act, is to identify needed features or fixes that are relevant for your organization and finance that work. Then you have a business case and measurable deliverables for the bean counters.

     Haelwenn /элвэн/ :triskell: likes this.