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← Foundations, on the whole, do not pay the maintainers of the projects they exist to support.
17 connected korrents · 14 moments on record from 12 Feb 2010 to 14 Aug 2026.
Everything filed under design
design
Everything filed under open source
open source
Everything filed under taste
taste
Everything filed under simplicity
simplicity Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Read this korrent: Foundations, on the whole, do not pay the maintainers of the projects they exist to support. Foundations, on the whole, do not pay the maintainers of the projects they exist to support. Last stated 4 years ago
2 Feb 2023
FV
Filippo Valsorda — holds since 2023-02-02 — tap for who they are
Same subject: Paying a maintainer must not buy a say in the project’s direction; funding and governance have to be kept as separate as possible. — tap to centre the map on it Paying a maintainer must not buy a say in the project’s direction; funding and governance have to be kept as separate as possible. Last stated 4 years ago
17 Mar 2022
FV
Filippo Valsorda — holds since 2022-03-17 — tap for who they are
Same subject: Employing a maintainer inside a large company breaks down exactly when the project succeeds: the workload grows while its value to the employer stays flat. — tap to centre the map on it Employing a maintainer inside a large company breaks down exactly when the project succeeds: the workload grows while its value to the employer stays flat. Last stated 4 years ago
2 Feb 2023
FV
Filippo Valsorda — holds since 2023-02-02 — tap for who they are
Same subject: An open source maintainer is not a supplier: there is no relationship with the companies using the code, so they cannot impose requirements on the person who wrote it. — tap to centre the map on it An open source maintainer is not a supplier: there is no relationship with the companies using the code, so they cannot impose requirements on the person who wrote it. Last stated 4 years ago
31 Dec 2022
TD
Thomas Depierre — holds since 2022-12-31 — tap for who they are
Same subject: Maintainers of widely used open source software are not adequately funded, and that is a real and unsolved problem. — tap to centre the map on it Maintainers of widely used open source software are not adequately funded, and that is a real and unsolved problem. Last stated 4 years ago
2 Feb 2023
DD
Drew DeVault — holds since 2018-08-22 — tap for who they are
TD
Thomas Depierre — holds since 2022-12-31 — tap for who they are
FV
Filippo Valsorda — holds since 2023-02-02 — tap for who they are
Same subject: The thing open source can actually sell is not the code but access to its maintainers’ attention and expertise. — tap to centre the map on it The thing open source can actually sell is not the code but access to its maintainers’ attention and expertise. Last stated 2 years ago
8 Jul 2024
FV
Filippo Valsorda — holds since 2024-07-08 — tap for who they are
NA
Nadia Asparouhova — holds since 2019-03-14 — tap for who they are
Same subject: A contribution is a cost to the maintainer, not a gift: it is taking part, not merely using the code, that consumes a project’s scarcest resource. — tap to centre the map on it A contribution is a cost to the maintainer, not a gift: it is taking part, not merely using the code, that consumes a project’s scarcest resource. Last stated 4 years ago
17 Mar 2022
FV
Filippo Valsorda — holds since 2022-03-17 — tap for who they are
NA
Nadia Asparouhova — holds since 2019-03-14 — tap for who they are
Same subject: A token monthly donation shows appreciation and achieves nothing else; sustaining a maintainer takes a real fraction of an engineering salary. — tap to centre the map on it A token monthly donation shows appreciation and achieves nothing else; sustaining a maintainer takes a real fraction of an engineering salary. Last stated 4 years ago
17 Mar 2022
FV
Filippo Valsorda — holds since 2022-03-17 — tap for who they are
Same subject: Funding should pay for maintenance, not features, because every new feature adds to the burden the money was meant to relieve. — tap to centre the map on it Funding should pay for maintenance, not features, because every new feature adds to the burden the money was meant to relieve. Last stated 4 years ago
17 Mar 2022
FV
Filippo Valsorda — holds since 2022-03-17 — tap for who they are
Same subject: A blank chat box is lazy: it violates the first rule of a good user experience, that it is obvious what you can do. — tap to centre the map on it A blank chat box is lazy: it violates the first rule of a good user experience, that it is obvious what you can do. Last stated a year ago
12 May 2025
JZ
Julie Zhuo — holds since 2025-05-12 — tap for who they are
Same subject: A company deserves everyone in it, the chief executive included, to spend as much time as possible in their zone of genius — which is an org design problem. — tap to centre the map on it A company deserves everyone in it, the chief executive included, to spend as much time as possible in their zone of genius — which is an org design problem. Last stated a year ago
23 Mar 2025
RV
Rahul Vohra — holds since 2025-03-23 — tap for who they are
Same subject: A computer meant for anyone has to be understandable without a manual, and it has to be friendly. — tap to centre the map on it A computer meant for anyone has to be understandable without a manual, and it has to be friendly. Last stated 4 weeks ago
14 Aug 2026
SK
Susan Kare — holds since 2026-08-14 — tap for who they are
Same subject: After a decade of Swiss minimalism, design is about to swing back to something far more expressive. — tap to centre the map on it After a decade of Swiss minimalism, design is about to swing back to something far more expressive. Last stated 11 months ago
16 Oct 2025
DF
Dylan Field — holds since 2025-10-16 — tap for who they are
Same subject: AI acceleration threatens 'less software': without the constraint of scarce hours, even 37signals will likely build too much. — tap to centre the map on it AI acceleration threatens 'less software': without the constraint of scarce hours, even 37signals will likely build too much. Last stated a month ago
26 Jul 2026
DH
David Heinemeier Hansson — holds since 2026-07-26 — tap for who they are
Same subject: Better design does not mean more design: the most obvious designs are often invisible. — tap to centre the map on it Better design does not mean more design: the most obvious designs are often invisible. Last stated 3 years ago
16 Nov 2023
JZ
Julie Zhuo — holds since 2023-11-16 — tap for who they are
Same subject: A first draft should not be graded good or bad; it is only the material that taste then gets to act on. — tap to centre the map on it A first draft should not be graded good or bad; it is only the material that taste then gets to act on. Last stated a month ago
6 Aug 2026
GS
George Saunders — holds since 2026-08-06 — tap for who they are
Same subject: A lot of people can match a framework for taste; almost nobody can create one, and creating one is the rare skill. — tap to centre the map on it A lot of people can match a framework for taste; almost nobody can create one, and creating one is the rare skill. Last stated 11 months ago
16 Oct 2025
DF
Dylan Field — holds since 2025-10-16 — tap for who they are
Same subject: A product needs a soul, and for that it needs one person of great taste who is its living, breathing aspect and gets furious about every small detail. — tap to centre the map on it A product needs a soul, and for that it needs one person of great taste who is its living, breathing aspect and gets furious about every small detail. Last stated 17 years ago
12 Feb 2010
KS
Karri Saarinen — holds since 2010-02-12 — tap for who they are
At the centre
Foundations, on the whole, do not pay the maintainers of the projects they exist to support.
Holds FV Filippo ValsordaRead this korrent →
Paying a maintainer must not buy a say in the project’s direction; funding and governance have to be kept as separate as possible.
Holds FV Filippo Valsorda
Employing a maintainer inside a large company breaks down exactly when the project succeeds: the workload grows while its value to the employer stays flat.
Holds FV Filippo Valsorda
An open source maintainer is not a supplier: there is no relationship with the companies using the code, so they cannot impose requirements on the person who wrote it.
Holds TD Thomas Depierre
Maintainers of widely used open source software are not adequately funded, and that is a real and unsolved problem.
Holds DD Drew DeVaultTD Thomas DepierreFV Filippo Valsorda
The thing open source can actually sell is not the code but access to its maintainers’ attention and expertise.
Holds FV Filippo ValsordaNA Nadia Asparouhova
A contribution is a cost to the maintainer, not a gift: it is taking part, not merely using the code, that consumes a project’s scarcest resource.
Holds FV Filippo ValsordaNA Nadia Asparouhova
A token monthly donation shows appreciation and achieves nothing else; sustaining a maintainer takes a real fraction of an engineering salary.
Holds FV Filippo Valsorda
Funding should pay for maintenance, not features, because every new feature adds to the burden the money was meant to relieve.
Holds FV Filippo Valsorda
A blank chat box is lazy: it violates the first rule of a good user experience, that it is obvious what you can do.
Holds JZ Julie Zhuo
A company deserves everyone in it, the chief executive included, to spend as much time as possible in their zone of genius — which is an org design problem.
Holds RV Rahul Vohra
A computer meant for anyone has to be understandable without a manual, and it has to be friendly.
Holds SK Susan Kare
After a decade of Swiss minimalism, design is about to swing back to something far more expressive.
Holds DF Dylan Field
AI acceleration threatens 'less software': without the constraint of scarce hours, even 37signals will likely build too much.
Holds
Better design does not mean more design: the most obvious designs are often invisible.
Holds JZ Julie Zhuo
A first draft should not be graded good or bad; it is only the material that taste then gets to act on.
Holds GS George Saunders
A lot of people can match a framework for taste; almost nobody can create one, and creating one is the rare skill.
Holds DF Dylan Field
A product needs a soul, and for that it needs one person of great taste who is its living, breathing aspect and gets furious about every small detail.
Holds KS Karri Saarinen