How do open source programmers earn their money?

Question

Free, open source software is very practical for the user: Just download, install and enjoy! But all the programmers need to pay their rent, their food and social insurance ... How do they typically earn their money? (Answers from actual programmers would be appreciated!)

Answer 1

Most get paid to program or do some other actual job, and do their open source work at home in their free time. I know several OS programmers - one worked on FVWM, another on a Linux terminal app. Both worked as sysadmins and brought laptops to work and did their open source development during downtime and in the evenings.

Answer 2

2

Answer 3

Many do open source work on their off time, for pure pleasure and intellectual challenge. Some do open source work for school credit and to build a professional reputation.



Some write software for other reasons and then are able to release the programs as open source later. Sometimes, an open source tool won't quite do what you need it to do, and you add capabilities because you personally need them. Releasing your improvements allows them to be maintained, which benefits you.



Sometimes companies will donate programmer time to open source projects for publicity or strategic reasons.



There are a variety of answers.

Answer 4

It depends. Some accept donations. Others give you the software for free but charge for the support.

Answer 5

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