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I don't know if open-source _businesses_ are healthy for open-source. It seems to fit much better with community volunteer projects without the pressure of trying to develop a business model around them: which feels like the root of the problem. Sponsoring developers with Patreon and donation runs has worked in the past and given us great projects.


I'm genuinely interested in examples of great projects from those funding sources.

When I think about OSS databases for example I can't think of any widely used ones that don't have at least one commercial entity that provides maintenance and support which funds development.


There's difference between a) having a big corporate backer for an open-source project vs b) a company and business built around that open-source project.

The incentives and existential threats towards the project are completely different.


There is evidence to the contrary that seems to be relevant here.

To wit, it's an "open-source business" providing the open source software people apparently feel very strongly about, not a "community volunteer project without the pressure".




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