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Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro

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On 2025-12-13 00:46, Nuno Silva wrote:
> On 2025-12-12, bonkmaykr wrote:
> 
>> CtrlAltDel 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.
>>>
>>> If the maintainers of the distros can't afford to maintain them, let 'em
>>> die off. There are around 600 distributions currently maintained with
>>> about 500 of them still in active development. There are many, many
>>> options for freedom.
>>>
>>> When Linux first arrived on the scene, it would have been almost literal
>>> apostasy among the nerd fiefdoms online if someone had asked them for
>>> money and they would have abandoned it faster than an eye could blink.
>>>
>>> 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.
>>>
>>
>> Respectfully, because I don't take pleasure in shouting vulgarities in
>> public: This is either a very obvious troll post or you have
>> shockingly little idea what you are talking about.
>>
>> It takes less than thirty seconds to, upon hearing the term "free
>> software", check your search engine, and find decades worth of
>> educational and historical material about how it, infact, has nothing
>> to do with being commercial or not.
>>
>> Donations are not commercial either. Every non-profit or charity off
>> the top of my head begs for donations.
>>
>> This post was so terrible it made me finally bother registering for usenet.
> 
> I think historically "commercial software" might have been used to refer
> to what's nowadays called "proprietary software". But this observation
> isn't from experience, but rather from a faint recollection of seeing
> this referred to in a magazine issue commenting on covers of much
> earlier issues of that magazine (was it "Linux Journal"?).
> 
> Some posts on this thread make me think it's worth pointing out that, on
> the aftermath of CVE-2024-3094 [1], one of the things that was debated
> and raised was the need to fund people working on free software for free
> more, not less.

Indeed, some devs have abandoned, because so many patches required 
becomes a non paid job, no more joy. There was a recent link, can't find 
it. Related to google sending a ton of found issues by IA review, perhaps?

> 
> [1] "Jia Tan"'s liblzma backdoor, https://enwp.org/CVE-2024-3094
> 
> 
> (Also, a warm welcome to USENET!)

Ditto.

> 


AI Overview

It is a common issue for free and open-source software (FOSS) projects
to be abandoned due to maintainer burnout, lack of financial incentive,
and the constant, often unrewarding, task of patching and maintenance.

The challenges leading to project abandonment include:

    * Burnout and Mental Health: Open-source maintainers of vital 
libraries often face burnout due to the overwhelming emotional toll, 
constant demands from users, and the sheer weight of responsibility for 
the project's security and stability.

    * Lack of Financial Compensation: Many developers create and 
maintain projects in their free time without pay. The lack of 
significant financial incentive to maintain and update the software 
makes it difficult to justify the time and effort required, especially 
when compared to a full-time job.

    * "Tired of Patching" (Maintenance Fatigue): Developers often find 
the continuous cycle of fixing bugs and maintaining old code to be 
difficult and less appealing than working on new, "greenfield" projects 
that use modern technology. The endless loop of fixing one bug only to 
potentially create another can be exhausting.

    * Lack of Recognition and Support: Maintainers often report feeling 
unappreciated, dealing with ungrateful comments or demands from users 
who don't understand the effort involved in maintaining a free project.

    * Career Concerns: Working on older projects for maintenance might 
not help a developer's career progression, as the technologies used 
might be outdated. Developers may prefer to work with newer stacks 
(e.g., React instead of JQuery) to keep their market value current.

    * Life Priorities: Personal life changes, new jobs, or simply 
wanting to work on something else are also significant factors in 
developers leaving projects behind.

When projects are abandoned, it can leave users open to security risks 
if outdated components continue to be used in other software, 
highlighting the real-world impact of maintainer fatigue in the FOSS 
ecosystem. The community sometimes responds by forking the project to 
continue development under new maintenance.



-- 
Cheers, Carlos.
ES🇪🇸, EU🇪🇺;

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Please do not donate to any Linux distro CtrlAltDel <Altie@BHam.com> - 2025-12-10 23:49 +0000
  Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro Bobbie Sellers <bliss-sf4ever@dslextreme.com> - 2025-12-10 18:54 -0800
    Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro CtrlAltDel <Altie@BHam.com> - 2025-12-11 03:41 +0000
    Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro rbowman <bowman@montana.com> - 2025-12-11 03:42 +0000
      Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro Bobbie Sellers <bliss-sf4ever@dslextreme.com> - 2025-12-10 20:47 -0800
      Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro candycanearter07 <candycanearter07@candycanearter07.nomail.afraid> - 2025-12-12 21:50 +0000
        Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro rbowman <bowman@montana.com> - 2025-12-13 02:02 +0000
          Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro Andy Burns <usenet@andyburns.uk> - 2025-12-13 10:01 +0000
            Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2025-12-13 14:14 +0100
            Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro rbowman <bowman@montana.com> - 2025-12-13 20:41 +0000
              Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro Bobbie Sellers <bliss-sf4ever@dslextreme.com> - 2025-12-13 16:00 -0800
                Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro rbowman <bowman@montana.com> - 2025-12-14 03:11 +0000
                Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> - 2025-12-15 19:02 +0000
                Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro rbowman <bowman@montana.com> - 2025-12-15 23:53 +0000
            Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> - 2025-12-15 19:01 +0000
    Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro Harold Stevens <wookie@aspen.localdomain> - 2025-12-11 03:27 -0600
      Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro Bobbie Sellers <bliss-sf4ever@dslextreme.com> - 2025-12-11 08:56 -0800
        Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro CtrlAltDel <Altie@BHam.com> - 2025-12-11 18:25 +0000
  Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2025-12-11 11:26 +0100
  Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro not@telling.you.invalid (Computer Nerd Kev) - 2025-12-12 06:37 +1000
    Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro CtrlAltDel <Altie@BHam.com> - 2025-12-12 05:04 +0000
      Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro bonkmaykr <bonkyboo@canithesis.org> - 2025-12-13 09:11 -0600
      Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro Beej Jorgensen <beej@beej.us> - 2025-12-13 15:53 +0000
    Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2025-12-16 01:21 +0000
      Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro Nuno Silva <nunojsilva@invalid.invalid> - 2025-12-16 12:16 +0000
      Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro not@telling.you.invalid (Computer Nerd Kev) - 2025-12-17 07:37 +1000
        Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2025-12-16 21:53 +0000
          Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro not@telling.you.invalid (Computer Nerd Kev) - 2025-12-18 06:54 +1000
            Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2025-12-17 22:13 +0000
              Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro Nuno Silva <nunojsilva@invalid.invalid> - 2025-12-17 23:43 +0000
                Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro rbowman <bowman@montana.com> - 2025-12-18 01:26 +0000
                Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> - 2025-12-18 10:07 +0000
                Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro not@telling.you.invalid (Computer Nerd Kev) - 2025-12-19 08:28 +1000
              Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro not@telling.you.invalid (Computer Nerd Kev) - 2025-12-19 08:24 +1000
                Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2025-12-19 01:08 +0000
        Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro Nuno Silva <nunojsilva@invalid.invalid> - 2025-12-17 13:20 +0000
          Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> - 2025-12-17 13:57 +0000
            Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro Nuno Silva <nunojsilva@invalid.invalid> - 2025-12-17 14:34 +0000
              Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro rbowman <bowman@montana.com> - 2025-12-17 20:23 +0000
                Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro Nuno Silva <nunojsilva@invalid.invalid> - 2025-12-17 23:41 +0000
                Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro rbowman <bowman@montana.com> - 2025-12-18 01:20 +0000
                Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> - 2025-12-18 10:02 +0000
                Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> - 2025-12-18 10:01 +0000
              Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> - 2025-12-18 09:59 +0000
          Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro not@telling.you.invalid (Computer Nerd Kev) - 2025-12-18 06:43 +1000
  Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro kouya <kouyaheika@canithesis.org> - 2025-12-11 16:21 -0600
    Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro CtrlAltDel <Altie@BHam.com> - 2025-12-12 05:01 +0000
      Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro Richard Kettlewell <invalid@invalid.invalid> - 2025-12-12 08:43 +0000
      Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro kouya <kouyaheika@canithesis.org> - 2025-12-12 14:30 -0600
        Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2025-12-13 14:16 +0100
          Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro Stéphane CARPENTIER <sc@fiat-linux.fr> - 2025-12-13 14:03 +0000
            Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2025-12-14 00:03 +0100
              Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro rbowman <bowman@montana.com> - 2025-12-14 03:18 +0000
                Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro Bobbie Sellers <bliss-sf4ever@dslextreme.com> - 2025-12-13 20:36 -0800
              Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro Eric Pozharski <apple.universe@posteo.net> - 2025-12-14 16:51 +0000
                Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro Bobbie Sellers <bliss-sf4ever@dslextreme.com> - 2025-12-14 11:36 -0800
                Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro rbowman <bowman@montana.com> - 2025-12-14 20:56 +0000
              Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> - 2025-12-15 19:07 +0000
                Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro Charlie Gibbs <cgibbs@kltpzyxm.invalid> - 2025-12-16 05:54 +0000
                Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro bonkmaykr <bonkymaykr@canithesis.org> - 2025-12-16 07:40 -0600
                Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> - 2025-12-16 14:33 +0000
                Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro rbowman <bowman@montana.com> - 2025-12-16 20:42 +0000
                Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> - 2025-12-17 01:05 +0000
                Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2025-12-17 01:46 +0000
          Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> - 2025-12-15 19:05 +0000
            Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2025-12-17 01:43 +0000
  Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro bonkmaykr <bonkyboo@canithesis.org> - 2025-12-12 15:48 -0600
    Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro Nuno Silva <nunojsilva@invalid.invalid> - 2025-12-12 23:46 +0000
      Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2025-12-13 14:26 +0100
        Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro bonkmaykr <bonkyboo@canithesis.org> - 2025-12-13 07:38 -0600
          Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro Stéphane CARPENTIER <sc@fiat-linux.fr> - 2025-12-13 14:08 +0000
            Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2025-12-17 01:41 +0000
              Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro John Ames <commodorejohn@gmail.com> - 2025-12-17 08:01 -0800
              Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro candycanearter07 <candycanearter07@candycanearter07.nomail.afraid> - 2025-12-19 14:50 +0000
          Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro Farley Flud <fflud@gnu.rocks> - 2025-12-13 14:56 +0000
            Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro Stéphane CARPENTIER <sc@fiat-linux.fr> - 2025-12-13 15:52 +0000
              Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro Richard Kettlewell <invalid@invalid.invalid> - 2025-12-13 18:00 +0000
                Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2025-12-17 01:37 +0000
              Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2025-12-14 00:10 +0100
                Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro Stéphane CARPENTIER <sc@fiat-linux.fr> - 2025-12-14 12:03 +0000
            Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro CtrlAltDel <Altie@BHam.com> - 2025-12-14 10:41 +0000
              Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro bonkmaykr <bonkyboo@canithesis.org> - 2025-12-14 06:23 -0600
              Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2025-12-14 13:27 +0100
                Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro Nuno Silva <nunojsilva@invalid.invalid> - 2025-12-14 18:26 +0000
    Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro CtrlAltDel <Altie@BHam.com> - 2025-12-13 09:33 +0000
      Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro Richard Kettlewell <invalid@invalid.invalid> - 2025-12-13 10:54 +0000
      Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2025-12-13 14:28 +0100
        Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro Stéphane CARPENTIER <sc@fiat-linux.fr> - 2025-12-13 14:09 +0000
          Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2025-12-14 00:11 +0100
  Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro Stéphane CARPENTIER <sc@fiat-linux.fr> - 2025-12-13 13:56 +0000
    Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro CtrlAltDel <Altie@BHam.com> - 2025-12-14 10:52 +0000
      Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro bonkmaykr <bonkyboo@canithesis.org> - 2025-12-14 06:25 -0600
        Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro Stéphane CARPENTIER <sc@fiat-linux.fr> - 2025-12-14 13:50 +0000
        Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro CtrlAltDel <Altie@BHam.com> - 2025-12-15 00:18 +0000
          Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro bonkmaykr <bonkyboo@canithesis.org> - 2025-12-15 10:40 -0600
            Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro CtrlAltDel <Altie@BHam.com> - 2025-12-15 21:12 +0000
              Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro bonkmaykr <bonkyboo@canithesis.org> - 2025-12-15 15:41 -0600
                Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro CtrlAltDel <Altie@BHam.com> - 2025-12-15 23:02 +0000
                Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro bonkmaykr <bonkyboo@canithesis.org> - 2025-12-15 17:09 -0600
                Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro CtrlAltDel <Altie@BHam.com> - 2025-12-15 23:23 +0000
                Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro bonkmaykr <bonkymaykr@canithesis.org> - 2025-12-15 20:58 -0600
                Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro CtrlAltDel <Altie@BHam.com> - 2025-12-16 11:25 +0000
                Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro bonkmaykr <bonkymaykr@canithesis.org> - 2025-12-16 07:35 -0600
                Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro CtrlAltDel <Altie@BHam.com> - 2025-12-17 01:09 +0000
                Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro bonkmaykr <bonkymaykr@canithesis.org> - 2025-12-17 08:11 -0600
                Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro Nuno Silva <nunojsilva@invalid.invalid> - 2025-12-17 14:37 +0000
                Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro bonkmaykr <bonkymaykr@canithesis.org> - 2025-12-17 09:02 -0600
                Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro CtrlAltDel <Altie@BHam.com> - 2025-12-18 01:39 +0000
      Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> - 2025-12-15 19:11 +0000
        Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro CtrlAltDel <Altie@BHam.com> - 2025-12-15 20:51 +0000
        Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2025-12-17 01:34 +0000
  Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro "Mr. Man-wai Chang" <toylet.toylet@gmail.com> - 2025-12-13 23:18 +0800
  Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro John McCue <jmclnx@gmail.com.invalid> - 2025-12-15 16:05 +0000
    Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro Bobbie Sellers <bliss-sf4ever@dslextreme.com> - 2025-12-15 08:53 -0800
  Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro 🇵🇱Jacek Marcin Jaworski🇵🇱 <jmj@energokod.gda.pl> - 2025-12-15 18:46 +0100
    Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro CtrlAltDel <Altie@BHam.com> - 2025-12-15 20:54 +0000
      Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> - 2025-12-15 21:32 +0000
        Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro CtrlAltDel <Altie@BHam.com> - 2025-12-15 23:06 +0000
      Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro Diego Garcia <dg@linux.rocks> - 2025-12-15 21:34 +0000
        Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> - 2025-12-15 21:35 +0000
        Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro CtrlAltDel <Altie@BHam.com> - 2025-12-15 23:07 +0000
      Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro 🇵🇱Jacek Marcin Jaworski🇵🇱 <jmj@energokod.gda.pl> - 2025-12-15 22:42 +0100
        Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro John Ames <commodorejohn@gmail.com> - 2025-12-15 14:09 -0800
          Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro 🇵🇱Jacek Marcin Jaworski🇵🇱 <jmj@energokod.gda.pl> - 2025-12-15 23:38 +0100
            Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro John Ames <commodorejohn@gmail.com> - 2025-12-15 14:41 -0800
          Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro kouya <kouyaheika@canithesis.org> - 2025-12-15 16:45 -0600
            Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro John Ames <commodorejohn@gmail.com> - 2025-12-15 14:55 -0800
            Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro bonkmaykr <bonkyboo@canithesis.org> - 2025-12-15 17:10 -0600
              Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro CtrlAltDel <Altie@BHam.com> - 2025-12-15 23:27 +0000
        Re: Please do not donate to any Linux distro CtrlAltDel <Altie@BHam.com> - 2025-12-15 23:18 +0000

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