[martypitt]

> If they see their project took off and they can earn some bucks by milking users later, that is cheating.

No, it isn't.

Open source developers are not under an obligation to continue providing their time for free. If they choose to pivot the project to some form of monetization, that's their right.

Previous versions remain available under previous licenses - that gift to the world remains, and stays available for communities to fork from, should they choose to.

If a project gains sufficient traction and delivers sufficient value that people depend on it, it's in everyone's best interest that the developer finds a way to monetize, so they're motivated to continue working on the project.

As you say, then the market will decide if it's a price worth paying, if they can live without the service, or if they'd rather take on the build burden themselves via a fork.

But Free Today does not entitle you to Free Forever.

[debarshri]

> If they choose to pivot the project to some form of monetization, that's their right.

It is easier said that done. If there an opensource project and another company that is VC backed that used the project and built out a solution. The opensource developer they pivot to monetization and compete, they are more likely to lose as they don't have clear GTM, marketing and strategy. When you start building something out, your GTM has to be very clearly chalked out.