Some folks just want to give
But they must support themselves somehow so I agree there is a limit to the giving without asking for at least bare minimum in return to support what one is doing i.e. food shelter internet etc (to keep giving)
Discussion
No, it goes deeper than that.
Refusing to demand payment keeps the users in the position of being receivers of charity, rather than customers. Beggars, not choosers.
Also, how old are we, that we still believe in Santa Claus? 😂
No, nobody just likes to give. Every interaction is an exchange. What are they getting in return, is the question?
Because, they are definitely getting something from us, but it isn't money.
If it's not for money, then it's to boost the ego and this is quite complex and can have many facets.
I want to disagree with you so badly...but you convinced me. There's a lot of truth in this statement.
And further, payments make a market. If someone gives their stuff away for free, they prevent competition from arising.
They can therefore more-easily maintain a monopoly and keep the users as a captured audience, while the quality declines.
This is how communism works, after all. Who will build a car, when someone else is giving them away, for free?
Foss development can be pure fun. Just scratching an itch.
Making it a consumer product takes dedication... And responsibility 😂
What you're saying kinda doesn't make sense.
It's like you wish BitTorrent was never created so people could charge money for what it does, or you hope no more free open source projects like it will be created so future plans can be expected to make money without competing with freeware.
Generally the "Who will build a car, when someone else is giving them away, for free?" is true, but things can get so bad that people will pay. Canada gives away healthcare for free, but it is so poor and wait times are so long that well-to-do Canadians frequently travel to the US and pay out-of-pocket for treatment for serious conditions. Some years ago, their head of the Department of Health (or whatever they call it in Canada) flew to the US for his treatments. When people found out, there was a big stink.
Yes, a handful of people can escape the Free Shit Orgy trap, and eventually the whole thing collapses under its own idiocy, but I don't know why we should ever build such a trap.
Not a dev, but as a contributor to nostr's community in general, I won't feel comfortable asking for support for food shelter internet etc unless the deep state goes so long without killing me that I actually run out of money, or projects I work on get too big for me to fund alone