[targafarian]

It's absolutely punishment.

A company gives to open source projects.

People complain about how little it is, and generate negative PR for the donation.

For a company, negative PR is a punishment.

What's the lesson here? At least the lesson some in the HN community are teaching is that if you are a big company and you donate to open source projects, you will generate negative PR for yourself.

(We can assume and/or question their motivations, but to me, motivations are almost always irrelevant to an act of generosity. Feel good about yourself if you help others out! Garner positive PR if you help others out as a company! Why should positive things for the giver detract from an act of generosity? Got a problem with the system? That's a problem with the system, not the person or company being generous.)

[heurisko]

Because anyone with any insight into human nature can see this would happen.

You're a traveller in a lesser economically developed country. You're in the wilderness, you haven't seen anyone in a while. You see a stranger, who sees you're travelling alone and invites you to a meal, eager to share a part of their life with you.

Now this is how GitHub is acting:

At the end, you reach into your pocket for a note of the local currency, the stranger shakes his head.

You continue taking out a nominal amount.

"No", the stranger says in his language. You insist, putting the note into his hand. The stranger looks offended. You smile, oblivious.

"THANK YOU VERY MUCH!" You repeat and kill the stranger's act of altruism.

[oefrha]

I’ve yet to identify someone who got the money and felt offended. Sure looks to me that everyone who was offended did not get the money.

[heurisko]

Because I doubt many would. I think reaction would be "Sure, this is nice I guess."

But I don't think it is anything more than marketing on the side of GitHub. And I think what annoys people is when people seem to think it is more than that.

[account42]

The expectation that people cannot criticize MSFT after doing this is exactly why people are suspicious of donations like this so if anything you are validating the "punishment" that you are complaining about.

[fartcannon]

The lesson is stop polluting the internet with PR, Microsoft!

[fartcannon]

That company is a known bad actor. All actions from them are hostile.

[GordonS]

I don't mean to be rude, but I think you should read back some of your own comments and reflect on them.

You're coming off as a very bitter actor, with all comments verging on trolling.

[carapace]

Look I'm not trying to defend "fartcannon" per se, but I gotta point out that if there's any bitterness here it's due to Microsoft's past actions. People who are suspicious of MS have good reasons.

I'm sure if some other company donated $0.5M to FOSS maintainers the negativity would be greatly muted or even absent.

[fartcannon]

Thanks!

Microsoft uses these platforms to advertise/promote. I don't like it. Advertising and PR are pollution. If Coca-Cola PR or big oil or the tobacco industry promoted on this website, I'd have a similar distaste for it.

[carapace]

Cheers. Your rhetorical style is a little rough perhaps, but you're not wrong.

When you compared the payments to "blood money" I was like "Oh my", but then I recalled an article that points out that Bill Gates knew Epstein "decades prior to 2011" ( https://unlimitedhangout.com/2021/05/investigative-reports/t... ) and I throw up my hands (and my breakfast.) What a world we live in, eh?

[fartcannon]

Thanks for not being rude, Gordon!