I've been funded for two years by the DataLad project to work on git-annex. This has been a super excellent gig; they provided funding and feedback on ways git-annex could be improved, and I had a large amount of flexability to decide what to work on in git-annex. Also plenty of spare time to work on new projects like propellor, concurrent-output, and scroll. It was an awesome way to spend the last two years of my twenty years of free software.
That funding is running out. I'd like to continue this great streak of working on the free software projects that are important to me. I'd normally dip into my savings at this point and keep on going until some other source of funding turned up. But, my savings are about to be obliterated, since I'm buying the place where I've had so much success working distraction-free.
So, I've started a Patreon page to fund my ongoing work. Please check it out and contribute if you want to.
Some details about projects I want to work on this fall:
Hi!
First of all, best of luck in your next funding project. I hope everything goes according to your wishes, and it seems Patreon has the potential of accomplishing that in the long term, which is great.
I am curious, however, to hear your opinion on the different crowdfunding models. I know you have experimented with Kickstarter, your own site, Flattr, and now Patreon... and probably more I do not know about. Your opinion on those various tools and platforms would be very valuable for other developers looking at similar experiments...
Thanks!
@anarcat, https://snowdrift.coop/p/snowdrift/w/othercrowdfunding is the canonical comparison of pretty much every crowdfunding site from a FLOSS perspective.
I'm using Patreon because they have monthly payments automated and are a well known name in the space that is probably not going away anytimee soon. Also ESR has a semi-successful Patreon account. Although I'm no ESR (thank goodness).
The only perhaps better option from a FLOSS POV would be Gratipay (which used to be called Gittip), but when I looked at it some time ago I didn't get the feeling it would work as well. I'd prefer to use Snowdrift (and have supported them both financially and with code) but it's not live yet. Self-hosting is unfortunately probably not feasible.