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Tarsnap has given 2^18 dollars to open source (daemonology.net)

426 points by cperciva · 1033 days ago · 191 comments on HN

Article summary

Tarsnap, a company founded by Colin Percival, has donated $2^18 (262,144) dollars to open source projects over the past 14 years. The largest recipient of this funding is the FreeBSD Foundation, which has received $173,920 to date. The company's donations also support other BSD-related projects, such as the BSD Now podcast and the BSDCan conference. Tarsnap's founder emphasizes the importance of giving back to the open source community that his company relies on.

Main themes

  • open source funding
  • Tarsnap donations
  • BSD projects
  • moderation policies
  • Sentry funding program
  • corporate social responsibility

What commenters say

  • Some commenters praise Tarsnap's founder for his consistent and generous donations to open source projects.
  • There is a discussion about the removal of a post from the front page, with some speculating that it may have been intentionally downvoted or removed by moderators.
  • Others argue that the post's removal may have been due to lack of interest from users rather than moderator intervention.
  • A few commenters express frustration with the site's moderation policies and potential biases towards certain companies or projects.
  • Some users share their experiences with Sentry's open source funding program, including one who received a payout of $15 per month.
  • There is a debate about the effectiveness of monthly payments versus lump sum payments for open source contributors.
  • A few commenters note that even small payouts can be significant for some individuals, while others argue that the payout threshold should be higher.
  • Some users suggest that larger companies, such as Apple, should consider making more substantial donations to open source projects.