[tonetegeatinst]

As a college student: bold of you to assume I have any money at all.

Also while I do like the software VMware and proxmox has, and I would donate to developers if I had spare money, I don't so I just keep a list for future me, and try to convey my thanks in the meantime.

On the other hand: broadcom can gargle my balls, I will not be paying them a single cent unless its my last option. They killed a good product, and are like the hug of death for acquired company's.

I would have less issue paying money if I knew the software wasn't being overinflated or money was actually going to the developers. Iv paid for solid works and other stuff cuz I see its value and use it, but it was also a good product I could as a student.

Now EDA software is insanely expensive and so my only option is openlane,so I can struggle trying to learn this hobby

[kepano]

Assuming you haven't exited to a barter economy you must surely be buying food? Unlike food, software can create time. Time = potential earnings. Consider a piece of software that costs less than a sandwich but the leverage it creates frees up some amount of time that earns you more than the cost of a sandwich.

[eviks]

Life isn't an ad, you can't monetize a random impression at any time.

Consider the software that saves you 5 min at night when you're doing some assignment - this isn't monetizable, you've go the benefit of 5 min more sleep, but you can't pay with that for the app

[kepano]

Converting time into money is easier for some people/professions than others. However converting less useful time into more useful time is a great thing for anyone. If an app gives you an extra 5 minutes every day, that's 30 hours per year that you can use towards something of your choice, whether it's sleep, exercise, recreation, work, etc.

Consider how much one hour of your time is worth — you are probably underestimating that number.

[musicale]

> As a college student: bold of you to assume I have any money at all.

Personally? Maybe not. Collectively? Maybe:

"College students are an entry-point market with over $593 billion in spending power."

https://www.refuelagency.com/college-marketing/

Part of it could be that many students have summer and/or part-time jobs, and the university isn't always successful in seizing every last dime that you make.

[musicale]

Thanks for pointing me toward OpenLane. I'm familiar with many of its individual components, but I wasn't aware of the overall project to combine them.

Things are looking better and better in terms of open source digital design workflows.

Presumably you would need software for course assignments as well.

[rexpop]

> As a college student

"No man is an island." You're part of a monied collective. If not your family, the institution could foot the bill. Or, perhaps, your State. You are surrounded by and buoyed up on a current of wealth. It's not in your debit card, so what? Everything in your life is being paid for by someone.