Since I’ve been using Linux for almost a year now and it seems this time my move over is final(yaaay!) I was wondering how best to support it financially if and when I can?
Specially since my funds are quite limited I’d rather not waste them, so should I just donate to KDE if that is what I use, or is there some place to donate for supporting/work on the Linux kernel itself, or to wayland, I’m already getting confused…
So suggestions(especially those backed by arguments) would be appreciated.
Thank you.
P.S. Sorry if this type of thing has been asked before, I did some searches before posting but didn’t find much apart from this thread which features just one person’s, admittedly interesting, opinion.
I don’t think you need to donate to the kernel development itself, as this is already well funded through many organizations and the Linux Foundation. I am actually not even sure if that is possible, given they have the funding they need, partly directly through LF and partly indirectly through the contributing organizations (including Fedora people).
In case of a doubt, check out the projects’ websites, of those projects you use yourself, and see if they seek donations. If so, do so KDE is one example, afaik they take donations → they have corporate supporters, but I think they still depend on normal donations. Another example that afaik still seeks (in the past sometimes even desperately) is Thunderbird. But you should contribute and donate to what you use and what proves useful to you, and what therefore also contributes to you - this shall be a symbiotic relationship.
Some smaller projects (down to 1 person projects) might be also on github or so, and take sponsors there. I would start with checking out the projects whose contributions you use. As you mentioned, KDE might be an example if you use that and appreciate it.
You might also go to conferences if there are some in your area. Most projects dependent on donations also seek donations there.
Also, keep in mind that these projects aim to be available to everyone, and donations shall be done by those who can afford it without restricting themselves. There are no pressures to do so. Other ways of contributing might be to collaborate: even asking questions about frozen systems and providing information and logs about it here is a contribution that helps us to make Linux better and improve things. There are many more possibilities, also to upstream projects like KDE. E.g., translations or testing - here or there (our KDE SIG indeed overlaps with the KDE developers, both are deeply integrated; so helping the KDE SIG might also be an “easier” way to contirbute to KDE, again, testing might be a means). Etc. → so many ways without the need to spend money.
I say let the big boys - IBM, Meta etc fund open source. Unless you find a solo or small team working on a project you use and love.
Instead, keep helping here, asking questions, and add to open source as you can over the coming years. You might not feel as if you (or anybody reading this) has the skills - but you all have many years ahaead (20? 50?) to learn and contribute.
Actually “linux” is a collection of countless pieces of software.
Some are sponsored by big firms, some are the pet project of a single person.
It is more likely donations are needed for small projects, like the Gnome Apps and alike.
I like Dejadup, for example and it its own Web page there is the “donation” button:
So I would say if you find some software nice and useful, see if the developer asks for donations.
Otherwise there are well established projects like Thunderbird.
Linux needs people as well as money. There may be local linux groups that do outreach like “bring your laptop and install linux” or “fix your linux issues” events that need to rent venues and provide a server and internet access. Many linux users contribute time and money to these groups.
Years ago, under the auspices of a local Uniforum group, we were able to get government funding to set up a Unix lab with systems donated by workstation vendors. A number of university students attended “Introduction to Unix” courses and went on to get higher degrees in CS (at the time, big employers (banks, insurance) were looking for Cobol programmers with IBM mainframe experience).
These days there are individuals ond non-profits maintaining linux packages. Many are limited by lack of funds to gain access to newer hardware, etc. Due diligence requires that you investigate the financial viability of any “mission critical” packages you use. Organizations that develop linux packages often solicit donations. You don’t see that when you install packages through a Linux distro, but if you go to the main site for the package you may see the request for donations. If you check the “Open Office” packages in Fedora Software, you can find a link to the “Project Website”. Follow that and there is a prominant “Donations” link at the op of the page.
From LiberaPay website:
" What are the payment processing fees?
The fees vary by payment processor, payment method, countries and currencies. In the last year, the average fee percentages have been 3.1% for the payments processed by Stripe and 5.1% for the payments processed by PayPal. How and when do I receive the money sent by my patrons?
Money sent by a donor immediately goes to your Stripe or PayPal account. By default Stripe then automatically sends the funds to your bank account, whereas PayPal simply stores them until you spend or withdraw them."
KDE is one example, afaik they take donations → they have corporate supporters, but I think they still depend on normal donations. Another example that afaik still seeks (in the past sometimes even desperately) is Thunderbird. But you should contribute and donate to what you use and what proves useful to you, and what therefore also contributes to you - this shall be a symbiotic relationship.