Sounds to me that some maintainers need to learn how to say “no.” I get that certain people use their software in critical applications, but sometimes a “fuck you, no. I’m not doing that right now” is well deserved or even necessary. You can even go a step further and cite their belligerence, if that’s warranted.
The beauty of open source is that people can fork software if things aren’t getting fixed or moving in a direction they like. And if they don’t and still complain, bring out the ol’ “fuck you, no.”
Cosgrove said, "I’m afraid it’ll take a significant project falling over to convince them [the users] that paying for open source maintainers is worthwhile and, in fact, may actually be a requirement.
“I don’t want to see that happen because the fallout will be ugly and gross, but I’m concerned that that’s what it’ll take.”
I disagree that it will take money. If you’re a maintainer, it’s your passion project. Tell people to fuck off once in a while. The people who really care will either join you to improve things or make something better out of spite.
Sounds to me that some maintainers need to learn how to say “no.” I get that certain people use their software in critical applications, but sometimes a “fuck you, no. I’m not doing that right now” is well deserved or even necessary. You can even go a step further and cite their belligerence, if that’s warranted.
The beauty of open source is that people can fork software if things aren’t getting fixed or moving in a direction they like. And if they don’t and still complain, bring out the ol’ “fuck you, no.”
I disagree that it will take money. If you’re a maintainer, it’s your passion project. Tell people to fuck off once in a while. The people who really care will either join you to improve things or make something better out of spite.