Write some software, give it away for free

Nostalgia, culture, and motivations

• Many reminisce about 80s/90s BBS/demoscene and early Unix days: small, cross‑pollinating communities, low monetization pressure, and “just make cool stuff” ethos.
• Others counter that this is rose‑tinted: life was slower, documentation harder to get, and they would not actually go back.
• Several stress treating coding as self‑exploration and craft, not purely a financial vehicle, often reporting more joy and better software as a result.

Free vs paid software and incentives

• Broad agreement that “never charge” and “always monetize” are both wrong; debate centers on where to draw the line.
• Some see subscriptions and VC‑driven “startup in an afternoon” culture as pushing dark patterns, lock‑in, and “enshittification.”
• Others emphasize needing income for rent, food, and retirement; wanting to get wealthy from one’s work is defended by some and seen as creating perverse incentives by others.
• Comparisons with bakers/plumbers lead to arguments that software is different because it’s infinitely copyable and non‑rivalrous, which breaks traditional pricing logic.
• Suggested models: AGPL + paid binaries, open core with paid hosting, “farmers‑market” style craft software, foundations and grants, patronage/donations, non‑commercial or “fair source” licenses that restrict hyper‑scale cloud reselling.

Open source maintenance and user entitlement

• Multiple maintainers describe being burned by rude users demanding free support, features, and license changes, leading to emotional exhaustion.
• Counter‑voices ask why this can’t simply be ignored; maintainers respond that triage, communication, and boundary‑setting all have real time/mental costs.
• Tactics mentioned: auto‑replying with the license, closing issues, encouraging forks over PRs, turning off issues/PRs, and clearly stating “no contributions” policies.
• Some report that paying customers tend to be more reasonable; others say entitlement exists on both sides, just harder to ignore when money is involved.

AI, cloning, and OSS

• Some hope AI agents will churn out free alternatives to predatory subscription apps, killing off “cash‑grab” mobile software.
• Others fear AI will weaponize OSS norms: cloning paid apps, re‑releasing them “for the community,” undermining sustainability while still leaving hosting and compute costs.
• There is skepticism about AI‑written OSS quality and trustworthiness.

Nonograph and similar “free” projects

• The featured service is praised for spirit (no tracking, Tor support, audits) and for embodying “build something cool, give it away.”
• Skeptics worry about abuse, legal liability for user‑generated content, and whether claims of rapid takedown are realistic at scale.
• Several commenters share their own free tools and apps, often explicitly framed as “giving back” once a day job or prior success covers their needs.