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Miro Asks Users To "Adopt" Lines of Source

Posted by kdawson on from the pray-you-don't-get-refactored dept.

soDean writes "The FOSS video player / downloader Miro is asking its users to support development by 'adopting' a line of source code for $4 a month. Each adopted line of code comes personalized with a little avatar character that will grow older over the year. PCF, which makes Miro, says they think the project is the first of its kind and they believe it's a chance to 'to have a truly bottom up funding base.'"

16 of 178 comments (clear)

  1. what happens by binford2k · · Score: 4, Funny

    when your line of code dies?

    1. Re:what happens by Chabo · · Score: 5, Funny

      Or maybe if someone decides to deprecate your method just to spite you?

      --
      Convert FLACs to a portable format with FlacSquisher
    2. Re:what happens by rolfwind · · Score: 5, Funny

      when your line of code dies?

      It gets buried properly, it gets inserted into the Duke Nukem Forever project.

    3. Re:what happens by CrimsonScythe · · Score: 5, Funny

      I just adopted this little gem:

      }

      I hope they won't port it to Python any day soon, though...

      --
      The view was horrible and the smell was even worse; Julie severely regretted becoming a proctologist.
  2. Smart FOSS Marketing! by alain94040 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Finally an Open Source project with some real marketing geniuses on board! That alone deserves celebration.

    I don't think this will quite work, but it's a step in the right direction. Will users get to pick which line they adopt? You could even imagine an auction system. Some lines might become very trendy: "I own the main function declaration of the program, but that cost me $500".

    I'll ask the people on my entrepreneur network if they like the model!

  3. Where's Sally Struthers? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    "For only $4 a month, you can give this line of source clean electricity and information to process and grow."

    1. Re:Where's Sally Struthers? by TerribleNews · · Score: 5, Funny

      Oh, yeah, my parents adopted a line of code in Beliz or Botswanna or something and they kept getting printfs from him ever month and then one day they decided to go visit him in his village and when they got there it turned out he'd been commented out years ago and his parents had been keeping the $4 and writing fake output. True story.

  4. Revolutionary by curtix7 · · Score: 4, Funny

    the end of one line if statements and ternary operators as we know them.

  5. Comments? by bughunter · · Score: 4, Funny

    Do I get a discount if I adopt a comment?

    --
    I can see the fnords!
    1. Re:Comments? by AcidDeath · · Score: 5, Funny

      Do I get a discount if I adopt a comment?

      Only if its inaccurate and misleading.
      So yes.

  6. The Sims by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Now the developers at Miro will spend all their time making sure their emoticons age properly instead of actually coding!

  7. I have been gypped by DarkIye · · Score: 5, Funny

    // This is line #273523

    --
    To prevent this day from getting worse, I'll just read ERROR as GOOD TH
  8. Whole Function or Class by some_guy_88 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    If they let you adopt a whole function or even a whole class, this could be a cool way of not only making money but also minimising bugs.

    People who adopt are likely going to read the code they get so this is a good way to get lots of eyes on the source.

    Just a thought..

  9. Re:$4 a line?? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Hah, I know! I write thousands of lines of code a day!

    My coworkers keep telling me I could do the same thing in just 10 lines of code of decent, maintainable code by refactoring and using abstraction, but I'm pretty sure they're all just slackers.

  10. Forget adopt a child... by sourICE · · Score: 5, Funny

    Why support a child when I can support i++?

  11. Cheap trick... by Paaskonijn · · Score: 5, Funny

    I get this on the page:

    Hello there! It looks like you are visiting from Europe

    Did you know that there are more Miro users in Europe than in the United States, but more than 99% of our financial support comes from American donations and philanthropies?

    Europe loves open-source, right? Help us make something great!

    Sounds like they're trying to cash in on our hatred for the U.S. :)