I was thinking specifically of the #xz Utils incident when I wrote this weeks column calling for an #opensource tax credit for developers.
“A 2024 Harvard study valued [open source software] at $8.8 trillion.
A software project may be initially undertaken by a single developer as a hobbyist project, but … maintenance and security updates require long-term commitments, often by an entire community of developers.”
@andrew@floss@law it's not a bad idea. The trouble with tax credits is that you can't trade them in for pizza and beer.
It would be more helpful if entities using the project contributed directly. I have a friend doing a years long project... Maybe even a decade... Who has had to pitch in on dependencies he uses (sweat equity) because things have been abandoned.
I think your idea is a good first pass at the issue. Every project is different, as are all the developers involved.
Thanks for your thoughts! Agreed on pizza and beer point — my secondary argument would be that the stimulus checks during COVID proved it is possible for credits to be refundable and immediately so.
@andrew@floss@law very true. However, it's important to remember that some projects aren't done by American developers.
Companies do have a habit of taking a FOSS project for granted. Good SCM, a staple of software engineering, should be an indicator to companies of their dependencies. It's unfortunate they aren't using that as much, apparently.
Definitely something to consider. We can solve parts.
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