Linux Users Are Software Pirates
Why are Linux Users Software Pirates?
In one sentence: Linux users are software pirates, because they don't pay for their software. Period!
We all talk about the awesomeness of Linux, Ubuntu and Open-Source-Software, but who of us is willing to pay for OSS? Nobody! Everything has to be free of charge. But Linux and OSS is about freedom, not free beer! We, who want everything for free, aren't any better than those who illegally leach software and games.
Why this is a fucking problem!
Software for Linux sucks!
Tell me about one high-end graphic suite, tell me about one state of the art game, tell me about one top business software!
It's hard to believe, writing awesome software is hard work; anybody who works hard has to eat and sleep, otherwise she will die. Sometime this developer wants to take care of his family - strange thing.
What is the consequence for the average open-source developer?
Surprise: She goes to work.
What doesn't she do, when she is working? Exactly, she can not continue work on her open-source project.
Let's reference Brian Lunduke and take a look at The Gimp:
To make The Gimp competitive to Photoshop the project needs 3 developers and 1 tester. If everybody earns 75 k, what is not much for decent developers, the project needs about 300 k in funding! There a no marketing efforts or anything else included. Just the money for the developers, that they can eat and will not die and will finish the project.
If we want killer open-source-apps, we have to pay for it - it is just this simple!
What can we do?
Donate! Donate! Donate!
Unfortunately we all donate to infrequently and we donate to small amounts - me included.
If we agree, that open-source users have to donate, then we should ask the following question:
How and how much should we donate?
Donating a little amount for every project doesn't make much sense, therefore I suggest a five step action plan:
- Forget the big distros, the Linux kernel and other company backed projects - they have enough money.
- Now think about it: Without which software you couldn't live anymore? Which project do you need for you job? Make a list.
-
Write down your top 5. My list looks like this:
- Now imagine: somebody takes your top 5 hostage. How much ransom would you pay? What is your personal value for each program in your top 5? Take this amount an write it behind the corresponding program in your list.
- Donate! Yeah, you're right, the different amounts you have written down, this is what you donate. The great thing is, you can donate whenever you want. For example after your next big customer project is finished and you earned a ton of money - but remember: With freedom comes responsibility!
To say it again, if you donate you are just fair. If you are don't donate you behave not much different than a software pirate, that found a legal loophole.
I know the temptation to do nothing is great, but get yourself together - do something!
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Comments
Carl 28.07.2010, 23:23
Its a good idea, but the piracy concept doesn't work well for me. There are many ways to give back and support the community and $5 here and there on a slow steady stream won't do much.
What I propose is something much more organized. We band together for money bombs. Get all the graphics people together and rally them for a week or two and pay as much as you can as close to a commercial software package such as Adobe CS. Set an arbitrary but attainable goal and for example throw $50k at the Gimp, Inkscape and Scribus projects and in 3 months you get something measurable.
You say Linux people won't pay, but thats false. Seriously. Tell me which simple GIANT green donate button to hit and I will, but again with massive groups behind it and just a glimmer of hope that we might get a decent graphics suite on Linux would drive a lot of people. If history tells me anything, GIMP is going to move nice and slow trailing 3 - 5 years behind Adobe but a freak event and an amazing release afterward would prove both in numbers of supporters, sheer cash and the quality end product that there is a market and it can happen.
And if it all flops and the money dissolves then we leave them to die and keep on supplementing with VirtualBox, XP and Adobe CS.