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by thedz 1616 days ago
Pretend Wordle was an open source MIT licensed game that someone created and released online.

Or pretend Wordle is one of the countless examples of freeware (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freeware) that exist online.

Would we be having the same conversation?

It's strange to me that many folks can't accept some people release things and don't necessarily care how it's further used, when the exact thing happens for many other examples of software and software products.
3 comments
esturk 1616 days ago
It's a form of FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) that's rooted in some personal insecurity. Some people can walk away from temptations of great wealth and power but I can also see how many people can't.
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skinnymuch 1616 days ago
You’re attacking people as if every one has the same motivation and every one is only self serving.

I’d like people who are in opportunities like this and can’t retire for life if they wanted to, to make a quick million or what have you because I don’t enjoy our status quo of how society functions.

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dniculescu 1616 days ago
Come on, Mr. Frodo. I can’t carry it for you…
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ben_bradley 1616 days ago
It's such a common capitalist concept that a word was invented for it: Monetize.
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mrweasel 1616 days ago
I was thinking the same thing. Say that someone builds a fantastic web framework, or the very best package for Node... say a single package that brings together all the comforts that would normally require 200 dependencies. Almost one would ask why you'd release that for free, source code included.

Honestly I think it's great. More of us should find small project, where the current selection is just awful half-baked apps, develop by someone who only goal is to stuff as many ads as possible into your face, and just undermind them with free well designed apps.

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skinnymuch 1616 days ago
Nearly every one who has built a fantastic web framework that went on to becoming very popular has financially benefitted from it. That kind of ubiquity can garner lucrative speaking gigs, consulting and contracting gigs, and more. These all being beyond what a normal brilliant developer would get.
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skinnymuch 1616 days ago
Yeah I think so. Just because some thing is open source doesn’t mean it can’t be monetized.
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