[bwang29]

The problem of open source is attribution, more specifically attribution back to individual contributors and the significance of contributions, and it is especially hard if you want to do attribution based on revenue performance if the licensee is small and do not have an audit department. A large proprietary software licensee can work with a licensor to track revenue performance because the licensee already have the right infrastructure to do so. So here is a startup idea:

An external auditing company with APIs to streamline the process of rev share and attribution back to the open source community and contributors, so that open source projects will make revenue and have the resource to reinvest and improve the projects.

[user5994461]

Receiving attributions doesn't pay the bills.

[gerbilly]

Attribution doesn't pay even for a hotdog, as seen here: http://theoatmeal.com/comics/exposure

[irrational]

I imagine most open source contributors have full time jobs. I have a full-time job that pays the bills so I don't need any kind of monetary reimbursement for my work on open-source projects. I just do it for the fun/challenge/scratch-an-itch/giving-back/etc.

[coldtea]

>I imagine most open source contributors have full time jobs

Yes: writing open source for companies. Much fewer do it as a hobby, and those can't sustain large projects.

[pjmlp]

Outside work I rather spend time with family and friends.

When I do something is just the outcome of dabbling in something as part of learn process, just contributing back some bug reports or minor fixes.

Hence why I tend to pay for the software I use, either via donations, buying author's books, distribution CD/DVDs, or actually buying licenses.

I believe that the authors from the tools I earn money with, should also get a piece of the cake.

[watwut]

Foss makes regular surveys. Most open source developers are paid.

[walterbell]

Crowdfunding sites have found ways to be compensated.

[agibsonccc]

I'd argue it's actually the economics. End users both want everything for free expecting it to work perfectly as well as assurances that the project isn't going away while also somehow still wanting guarantees around release schedules. Those same people also endlessly complain to OSS maintainers about something they are getting for free and somehow expect the red carpet when it comes to feature requests.

Attribution isn't the issue, it's balancing the need for building a community vs the financial incentives to actually support the people building the thing you're using.