this post was submitted on 17 Sep 2023
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So in your mind, what does the business model look like for the developer? If they can't charge for their app and they can't offer it for free with ads, then what is the expectation? 100% FOSS and assume that goodwill from users will give them enough in donations?
I saw in your comment you are in favor of charging for the app, but how is the ad free version not exactly that? It's a paid app for those who want that but it's a free app for those who don't mind ads. It just seems needlessly nitpicky for that to be the point of contention here.
You do know that there are a dozen other apps that don't charge anything, don't you? Sync is the only one that costs money. It's the only one that has ads.
Sure, and that's great! There are so many good no-cost, ad-free Lemmy apps out there. And I suppose that's what leaves me confused when people get upset because just one app happens to be monetized. With so many viable alternatives, why make this the hill to die on?
People who donate their time and expertise to provide something for free are admirable, but it's the nature of the beast called capitalism that makes that option not feasible for everyone. When people need to afford food and rent, and an app might be someone's primary income, there should never be an expectation that someone offer something for free, just an appreciation when they do.
It's also the best hands-down. If you want to use a worse free app, that's fine. I haven't paid for Sync for Lemmy, and I deal with 1 ad every 5 pages or so. I'm not that sensitive.
So basically the solution is hobbyist apps only?