I’ve got some standing orders of 1 or 2 euros every month for bigger projects like grapheneos and kde. And for small apps that I actively use, I try to donate 5 or 10 euros now and then. It’s not much but I believe if everyone is doing their part we succeed in the long run
You’re not throwing money out the window though, you’re giving it directly to someone. Someone who has used their craft to create something that has value to you. I’m not necessarily criticising you for not donating, I just want to shift your perspective that your money wouldn’t be valued by other people.
I know, but if it was that easy to shift perspectives, the world would be a completely different place. I dislike the donation format since it plays a lot on the moral and psychology of the person - how much is enough, how much value does it actually provide me etc. Like I am the one doing the sales for the person. I much rather have a clear price.
Maybe it’s just because of donations and the “uncertainty” it makes me feel. I did pay for open source software before (open source != free), guess I prefer just to see a clear price tag.
That’s a fair take. I can relate to the feeling of uncertainty. When I make small donations of a couple of euros I have to push away my feelings that the donation could be seen as insultingly low. It’s hard to judge what a “fair” price is. But after all, many donation buttons say “Buy me a coffee” so I would hope the amount is appreciated either way.