Message-ID: <693b2b9f@news.ausics.net>
From: not@telling.you.invalid (Computer Nerd Kev)
Subject: Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro
Newsgroups: comp.os.linux.misc
References: <10hd0v5$1qp6n$1@dont-email.me>
User-Agent: tin/2.6.5-20250707 ("Helmsdale") (Linux/2.4.31 (i586))
NNTP-Posting-Host: news.ausics.net
Date: 12 Dec 2025 06:37:51 +1000
Organization: Ausics - https://newsgroups.ausics.net
Lines: 35
X-Complaints: abuse@ausics.net
Path: csiph.com!news.bbs.nz!news.ausics.net!not-for-mail
Xref: csiph.com comp.os.linux.misc:78829

CtrlAltDel <Altie@bham.com> wrote:
> Linux is supposed to be free, not free with constant nags about donating. 
> If you want to donate, go buy a Windows release and donate your money to 
> them.
> 
> As far as Linux goes, the whole concept behind it and the various distros 
> is that it is free.  Free, as in no money needed to use.  Not free as in 
> it's free to use but we are going to pester you to no end to donate to 
> keep it free.

Tiny Core Linux for one not only doesn't ask for monetary
donations, but even has a policy not to accept them:

https://forum.tinycorelinux.net/index.php/topic,3977.msg20811.html

But of course the Linux kernel project itself will happily take your
money, so if you _really_ don't like donations then you're using
the wrong OS. Although I don't know what the right one would be,
probably one with very few hardware drivers available.

> Now it's almost like a guilt trip is played on you if you don't *donate*.  
> Let's go back to how it was years ago and bring the purity back to Linux, 
> the FREEdom, the excitement.  Down with the commercialization. 

All else being equal I prefer a software project which doesn't get
or ask for lots of donations. For one thing it means the authors
are passionately trying to build something they want to use
themselves, rather than returning to the conventional motivation of
chasing the money. The former often results in more focused design
decisions that I prefer. Others prefer software that does try to
clone commercial offerings, like LibreOffice, though.

-- 
__          __
#_ < |\| |< _#