At the end of the day, software developers need to eat. If they get to eat because their compensation model is driven by donations either before or after you use the app, who cares?

(Fair enough FOSS is free as in freedom, not just as in free beer, but I think that is moot to a lot of people, as long as the market space isn't crushed by anti-competitive buisness practices)

The bigger issue at hand here is negotiating fair API uses for instances and their admins, who also need to eat, and make the apps possible too.

[–] Moc@lemmy.world -2 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Why not go the way of Wikipedia and ask for donations? Hell even early Reddit gold awards were good.

[–] regular_human@lemmy.world 25 points 1 year ago

Users are cheapskates pretty often

[–] justastranger@sh.itjust.works 16 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Have you seen how much more desperate Wikipedia gets every time they need to beg for donations?

[–] Perfide@reddthat.com 3 points 1 year ago

That's marketing BS. Wikipedia is very well funded and in fact they consistently blow way past their fundraising goals

[–] WIPocket@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

They dont degrade the service until you pay. They dont lock features behind a paywall, they dont have ads. They beg you to pay, they dont extort you. Why does it matter that they seem desperate?

[–] wahming@monyet.cc 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Would YOU want to feel that desperation if you were the creator wondering if you could make rent next month?

[–] Perfide@reddthat.com 2 points 1 year ago

In Wikipedias case at least, the desperation is 100% marketing bluster and has been for at least a decade. Wikipedia is VERY well funded.