this post was submitted on 29 Aug 2024
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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).
Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.
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I'm not really talking about development as simply programming. There are a lot of aspects that go into development, yes...programming is a big aspect.
But there's also bug reporting (every user should know how to report bugs because it's contributes to making the program better).
Heck, you can even download the documentation and give it a proof-read if you're good with grammar and spot some errors if you don't want to commit to helping to write it.
I know a lot of people who spend a lot of time in the various subs for the software, taking care to answer questions from other users who need help doing this or that. That again, is contributing.
Then there's simply what we're doing right now. Bringing attention to the projects online getting them more visibility.
Development of a successful FOSS app isn't just about programming. And even small contributions count. If you can donate some coin, great! If you can't, or don't want to, there are a thousand other things that you can do to contribute to that apps community.
I emphasized the word community because that is exactly what it is. The ethos of Open Source; what makes it different than Propietary software, is that the users are an inherent part of the development process in ways both big and small. In propietary software, there is a distinct line between the developers and the users. Developers have multiple stakeholders of which the user base is certainly one, but also include advertisers, software makers, hardware makers, etc...
FOSS software, in contrast, is much more a communitee effort with the involvement of the community in the way of bug reports, literature, education and even simply championing the project because they don't have millions of dollars in advertising budgets.
Sorry, I get a little passionate, so this is longer than I intended it to be.
But tl;dr, contributing isn't just about money or just about programming. There's a thousand ways big and small, and my issue isn't with people not "paying" necessarily. But people who use it for free and don't bother filing bug reports, don't join the community online to help answer user questions, etc...
A good FOSS citizen should be an active part of the community. Or donate money to the project if they'd rather not.
I see what you mean and understand you. It's very idealistic and I appreciate the thought of it, but it just won't apply to a modern world full of varied people in the way you wish. The reality of it is that most people simply are not interested in participating and it's not in the best interests of any project to expect to change that. Contributions from someone who shares no passion or interest will be less qualitative at best. That's not even to mention that you're likely missing the forest for the trees, as most open source software is built upon hundreds of other projects. You cannot reasonably expect participation on that scale. You can encourage, desire, or structure an income stream to support it; but you cannot expect it as it's just not rational.