I think that is a pretty great idea.. essentially a private tax system to pay open source. However like all tax systems, it would only work if there were an enforcement mechanism.
I do find it ironic that many of the dev crowd seem to love government taxes yet when it comes down to actually putting money into the products (code,) they depend on, people seem to get free-ridery all the sudden. Yet people have no problem wanting to tax people for whatever government program of the moment is en vogue.
I don't use public transport (I live in the countryside in France,) but I do use open source every day. I pay taxes for subsidizing the Paris metro (via national taxes,) yet I never (or very rarely) use it. Every person using a smartphone on a train is using open source in some form.
My logic isn't well formed but my point is that open source is every bit as "worthy" as a bullet train from LA to San Fran -- and probably benefits far more people. However since open source doesn't result in certain politicians' associates getting rich off of land deal, open source doesn't have much political interest.
To be clear, I am not proposing a government tax to fund software -- I am suggesting that investors/devs/companies that use open source ought to consider ways to support the tools that make their business possible.
Free is never free -- some dude (or lady) in a basement somewhere is forgoing personal income to help build the tools upon which billion dollar companies depend.
Open source is similar to someone personally doing the work to build a road -- a road traveled by companies making money by using that volunatarily created road.
I do find it ironic that many of the dev crowd seem to love government taxes yet when it comes down to actually putting money into the products (code,) they depend on, people seem to get free-ridery all the sudden. Yet people have no problem wanting to tax people for whatever government program of the moment is en vogue.
I don't use public transport (I live in the countryside in France,) but I do use open source every day. I pay taxes for subsidizing the Paris metro (via national taxes,) yet I never (or very rarely) use it. Every person using a smartphone on a train is using open source in some form.
My logic isn't well formed but my point is that open source is every bit as "worthy" as a bullet train from LA to San Fran -- and probably benefits far more people. However since open source doesn't result in certain politicians' associates getting rich off of land deal, open source doesn't have much political interest.
To be clear, I am not proposing a government tax to fund software -- I am suggesting that investors/devs/companies that use open source ought to consider ways to support the tools that make their business possible.
Free is never free -- some dude (or lady) in a basement somewhere is forgoing personal income to help build the tools upon which billion dollar companies depend.
Open source is similar to someone personally doing the work to build a road -- a road traveled by companies making money by using that volunatarily created road.