Only a single data point, but in 2005 I had several thousands in donations over $several months for a basic online service (only a Perl CGI script at the time..!) and my buddies over at Phusion have had a crazy level of success with them: http://pledgie.com/campaigns/2975
Given Zed's stature, I doubt he will have problems getting enough donations to keep him sustained for a while even if it's not a permanent situation.
Yeah? For just hanging out your shingle and asking, anything seems like gravy to me. In Phusion's case, I know that the $13k in donations made a huge difference for getting Passenger 2 out of the door and in my case it validated the business idea (a little) and was a factor in the angel investors approaching me.
But your milage might vary and if you have to struggle and beg for those donations, you are probably right. Time may be better spent elsewhere. I can't see Zed having that problem!
I suspect he'll make a few k, but in truth I can't see it being too fab. Also it lowers his valuation in some peoples eyes, who will say 'look Zed's broke' which strangely changes the dynamics of many relationships. When people see your desperate they generally dismiss or avoid you.
I'm not desperate at all, in fact I had saved up money to fund the project myself for a couple months. The donations are because my goals in Mongrel2 changed once I realized I could actually change the lives of programmers and maybe put an end to at least a tiny bit of the language religion that seems to infect the web programming world. With a bigger goal and one that needs me to give the software away for it to succeed, I decided to ask for donations.
The donations serve two purposes: They make it so I can work on Mongrel2 for a while and get something awesome started. It also demonstrates that other people are backing what I'm doing. When you don't have a large community at the start, people will take monetary amounts donated as a sign that the project might go somewhere.
I can't say I agree with folks who judge a project's success by donation amounts or community size over technical capability, but I can understand it.
> maybe put an end to at least a tiny bit of the language religion that seems to infect the web programming world.
That alone makes it well worth it to me. I'm not going to donate because I've never used your stuff, but if that's your goal then it's a noble one. Good luck!
I would like to qualify that I personally don't equate lack of monetary success to failure or such, however, I once ran a large successful electronic design manufacturing and distribution business, while I was extremely successful from the outside looking in, on the inside I was suffering. I hence gave it all up, at which point a markedly evident change occurred in family, friends, business associates, perception of me which was a clear as ice. You would not be alone I'm sure facing the dialema of making something cool but not making financial success from your efforts : http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1563441
Sounds like you've got some personal issues getting in the way of a good idea from Zed. The OSS community has taken the world by storm exactly because of coders like him who donated their time and vision to create systems that now power trillion dollar economies around the world. The web didn't build itself - and the good stuff certainly was not built- by those with only a commercial interest.
All he's asking is that some, especially the ones who are profiting from it and can afford it, donate a little something back.
