OPEN SOURCE It’s Now Easier to Buy a Dev a Beer
GITHUB SPONSORS has made it easy to support the developers of open source who host code on GitHub. The program aims to make it easier for people to contribute dollars, if they aren’t able to contribute code. The big question is, who will be willing put up cash for work that they’ve enjoyed for free?
As the saying goes, free software is free as in speech, not beer. Beer is not free. Neither is rent, nor electricity. Yet these three things—beer, rent, and electrons—are just some things an aspiring developer might have to consider when giving up hours to build things for the benefit of strangers.
If you’re not someone who busies themselves writing code or documentation for fun, it can be hard to figure out how to contribute to open-source projects. You may really love an application or need a piece of code, but there is often little most people can contribute easily. Not everyone can write code. Not everyone knows enough about how a software package works to contribute documentation. Just like the Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders), not everyone can be (or wants to be) a doctor or nurse. But many people can contribute a little spare cash, even if it’s just once.
Previously, people who wrote software would have a hopeful PayPal button on their blog, in hopes that someone could show their appreciation for the hours logged at a keyboard. Being compensated for time and effort spent on developing something you give away for free is hardly an easy thing to do.
Many open-source projects are designed and built by people who may not receive a shiny nickel for their work. Bloggers and content creators embraced platforms such as Patreon to fund their ability to continue creating art and content. GitHub Sponsors looks and feels quite similar, though students, hobbyists, or budding small business owners who write code are the prime beneficiaries. A developer who wants to be sponsored by the community is able to create a GitHub Sponsors profile outlining donation levels, and offer small thank-you gifts.
I like this move, though I am forced to wonder just how effective it might be. The new program does have some immediate benefits. First off, developers wanting to solicit donations in order to support their ability to continue creating software won’t have to build a third-party platform or ask people donate to their PayPal account. That said, many people see “free software” as free (as in beer). While low or no-cost software is a perk, the idea of free and open-source software is that at some point, the users of the software contribute in some way to the improvement of the software. Sometimes, that means filing a bug report. Sometimes, it means translating an interface to another language. Sometimes, it means putting a couple bucks in the hat to help keep the lights on. From my own limited experience, offering up a few dollars to help out a project has been the exception rather than the rule. For myself, I can count on one hand how many times I’ve made direct donations. I hope greasing the skids to making a donation will make it more likely for people to do so. In a way, this new program will be a test to see how generous users of open source really are.
For now, GitHub Sponsors is rolling out slowly, and if you are a developer, you can get on a waiting list to put out the digital tip jar. If you want to help out a developer by buying them a beer (or coffee), the feature is available now. As of writing, GitHub is making sure 100 percent of donations goes to developers. (Well, user accounts who you can donate to—they don’t have to be a “developer.”) GitHub is also matching all donations up to a maximum of $5,000 per recipient for the first year. Like those NPR challenge grants, your five bucks can be 10 for the first 12 months.
This new program will be a test to see how generous users of open source really are.