"You get what you pay for" is a common FUDphrase used to
discredit Linux and FOSS, because so much of it is available free
of cost. Which scares the purveyors of overpriced crapware, who
would rather walk barefoot through broken glass and burning dung
than write software that customers actually feel happy paying for.
It's hooey and we know it. But there is a related truism that is
valid, which is "Whoever pays the piper calls the tune." You could
shorten this to "money talks." And that is definitely true.
One of today's articles got me to thinking about this. Red alert:
Ardour is in serious trouble. Ardour is Free Software, licensed
under the GPL, and is also free of cost. It is a
professional-quality multi-channel digital audio workstation that
competes with the expensive closed-source proprietary applications,
such as M-Audio's ProTools and Steinberg's Nuendo, both of which
will suck hundreds or even thousands of dollars out of your pocket
before you know what hit you. Cubase, Sequoia, Adobe Audition,
Cakewalk, and all the rest add insult to injury with inconsistent
support for standards and formats, and many of them try to lock you
in to their own hardware as well as software.
Of course they're all Windows applications, with some token
support for Mac OS X, which is a joke because Windows is a lousy
platform for serious audio work. So Ardour fills a very important
and under-served niche.
Ardour has been sponsored by the School of Audio Engineering
(SAE) since early 2007. I'm guessing that they're having financial
problems just like everyone else; whatever the reason for
withdrawing their support, it illustrates the peril of depending
too much on a single sponsor. Hopefully Ardour users will increase
their financial support and save the project.
LWN Saved By Readers
It's happened before: for example, Linux Weekly News almost went out of business
because the publishers could not afford to keep it going.
Fortunately, they came up with a successful subscription model and
readers rallied 'round, and so we still have the benefit of this
excellent publication.
There is this weird multiple-personality thinking that infests
the FOSS world. On the one hand, we boast much of Community. On the
other hand, we crave corporate acceptance and support. But suits
are bad! But we need them, or rather we need their money and
approval, but not their interference. The reality is that serious
financial support comes from business, and not from FOSS users.
It's becoming a more acute problem because the rapid growth of
Linux has brought a huge infusion of Windows and Apple refugees who
bring their bad proprietary habits with them, such as being
demanding and whiny instead of pitching in and helping.
So I am suggesting that everyone take a look at all the great
FOSS goodies they are using, and pick a few of them to sponsor
yourself. I've heard all the usual objections-- there are too many
so how do you choose, your few dollars won't make a difference,
you're too broke, blah blah blah. Put those tired excuses out of
your mind, it's not that difficult. You know what applications you
rely on the most, and how many thousands of dollars FOSS is saving
you, and if they have a "Donations go here!" link then you're in
business. If they appear well-funded, then find someone who looks
like they will benefit from your support. A few dollars are always
better than zero dollars.
As this big fun recession spreads, it's even more important to
reach out and help wherever we can. Just to get the ball rolling
I'm going to list my own favorites that I've been intending to
financially support for ages, and never quite got around to:
Audacity, Digikam, and I'm going to revive my subscription to Linux
Weekly News. Who do you think is worthy of financial support?
