Stop Making Free Software

When you plan to create your next big project e.g. tool which will be better than thousands of currently existing commercial project. And obviously this will be free, because libre world sounds fantastic. You should think it more.

# 1. World of Money

Imagine a world where you have to pay for nearly everything. A world where, for instance, if you want to:

• visit your boyfriend, you must buy a train ticket first;
• drink a water, you must buy a bottle first.

This world is our current reality, and this isn't a pathology.The value of money is based on the conversion of our time and skills into numbers. Time is money, and money is time.

# But software world is built on freedom

Almost every streamer use OBS Studio for creating their content. The entire industry makes a lot of money which e.g. Twitch's steamer Ninja earns 142,177.30$ in October 2023 only from Twitch^[1]. But in the same moment budget of total raised money by OBS in Open Collective since 25 February 2019^[2] is 445,530.63$^[3]. Consider how comparatively little the creators of OBS earned over their sixteen years of work compared to the streamers whose careers they helped build. Maybe if they made a dollar from each user they could improve their project or create an additional one?

The total funds collected from OBS are higher because they also have a Patreon, where Lain Bailey (lead author) earns 3,373$ per month, but the sum of all donations is unknown^[4].

Also probably every developer heard about Linux, a libre and gratis operating system which powers 85% of smartphones, 96.3% of the top one milion web servers^[5]. Which means everyone use Linux, but who contributed for creating it? Directly, almost no one. Indirectly probably everyone, because big companies which we pay for products help develop that. Still, the money which receive Linux for own development is probably much smaller than e.g. iOS. Where could Linux be if it had as much money as Windows or MacOS?

# 2. End of Liberty

Let's go back to the 90s and make Linux paid software for one dollar. Leaving aside the impact on the Linux popularity, how much money could Linux spend on self-improvement or creating additional tools? Billions of dollars.

# But fantastic in free software is contributing to source code

Windows disallow that, MacOS also. But who said you can't contribute to paid software? Look at Unreal Engine, you can do that, even exists manual which describe how. They create software from the money they earn, which can be used to hire programmers and additional personnel to improve their engine. Simultaneously, the community can contribute to this effort. Everyone can make their own version which is adjusted to their needs.

Everything is it possible depends of creators of project.

# 3. Corporate Wars

If every project will earn money then every project will be related to corporation? And corporations are bad?

No, everything depends of that who own a company, and whether they are a good person.

# Replay of Unity game engine

Unity for years have really libre license of usage of their engine (unfortunately not for editing). You could create a game and only start paying when the game makes a lot of money.

However, one day, the owners of Unity wanted to change this policy, along with their licensing history^[6]. Which, of course, was terrible and the creators were very outraged.

To prevent this, a concept known as licensing comes into play. If we can create license like GPL, which have their own restrictions. We also can create license for project with published source code which will influence only for legal units which they are already making money. Simultaneously will be preventing of changing payments more than e.g. inflation.

# Owner company goes bankrupt

Everything will fall someday, for this e.g. GOG exists, shop where you can buy games without DRM's which will be working even when game shops will fall.

Projects with published source code can continue development even after a company's demise. However, users may not be able to pay for its use, which would violate the license. Then license just can be written in way that tell if paying is impossible then license automatically will be changing to for example MIT.

# Imagined license

For now I don't know any license like that, but maybe some day I will create that.

# 4. Unfair Impact

Usage of license which requirement paying only for companies which now earns money is unfair. But this helps in starting new companies which will competition to more mature companies. There's a reason why most new companies, even in tax havens like the USA, fail within their first six years^[7], we don't want that, we want competition.

This also helps for young people which don't earn money, but they want to learn new things like using our software.

# 5. Does Everything Have To Be Paid?

Obviously not. If you're creating a relatively small project it will be fine when you use a standard liberty license. Even big companies publish their small tools for completely free which is used by them to creating their big products e.g. RedTalaria.

# 6. Summary

Everything need money for development, let's not skimp on software.

Take this article as just a thoughts, I will probably create many free programs in the future as well. Oh, I've even created few in the past.