FreeBSD Bounties

[Randi Harper]

> Hmm, well I guess I might have jumped the gun a bit. I can see how it could
> be useful. I don't really believe that open source software should have a
> price when it comes to drivers and things like that.
>

It's not like anyone is asking you for money, so I don't see why you are
complaining. Bounties are a solution that will benefit everyone involved. In
a perfect world, we could all live off of sunshine and rainbows. Since this
is hardly the case and developers do have to eat, providing users with a way
to subsidize the specific improvements they care about is a Good Thing.

Do you have a better idea?

(This isn't really all that relevant to the current conversation, but I'd
just like to point out the inaccuracy of your assumption that open source
software is synonymous with free (as in free beer) software. It's not. Open
source means that anyone is free to study/change the software - it does not
necessarily mean that the software comes without a price. As much as I
dislike referencing rms, you might benefit from reading
http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/open-source-misses-the-point.html)

-- randi