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Discussion on: The ROI of paying open source maintainers (in light of the xz utils backdoor)

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Kingsley-Eghianruwa

Thank you for your insights. However, I disagree with the notion that paying maintainers will inherently improve the security and resilience of open source software (OSS). While companies may offer paid support for the OSS they have released, this model does not necessarily apply to all OSS projects.

It's important to note that the majority of OSS projects do not originate with monetary gains in mind. A significant portion of OSS is utilized by both individuals and enterprises, but very few contribute back to the projects. The solution, in my opinion, lies in fostering a sense of moral obligation among users to contribute to the OSS they find useful.

The very tenet of Open Source software dictates that all users of an OSS project should share the responsibility of supporting, improving, and maintaining it, rather than leaving the burden solely on the maintainers. Instead of relying on paid maintainers, the emphasis should be on encouraging active participation and contributions from the broader user community, aligning with the collaborative spirit of open source development.