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A New Way To Fund Open Source Software Projects, Bug Fixes and Feature Requests

Posted by Soulskill on from the charge-10-cents-per-compile dept.

Lemeowski writes "Open source software projects are seeing some success on fundraising sites like Kickstarter and Indiegogo. But Warren Konkel believes open source software needs a better funding model that's more aligned with how software is built. So Konkel, who was the first hire at LivingSocial, teamed up with his friend David Rappo, a producer for games including Guitar Hero and Skylander, and founded Bountysource, a crowdfunding and bounty site specifically designed to help developers raise money for their OSS projects, bug fixes and feature requests. In this interview, Konkel talks about how he recently snagged a $1.1 million investment in Bountysource, gives developers tips on launching a fundraising effort for their OSS project, and more."

4 of 52 comments (clear)

  1. Javascript needed by Captain+Hook · · Score: 3, Informative

    Can't see anything on the bountysource homepage without Javascript enabled.

    Inspirational webdesign makes me want to donate money.

    --
    These comments are my personal opinions and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the other voices in my head.
    1. Re:Javascript needed by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Informative

      Have you looked at the page source?

      Ouch.

      No, my computer won't do *that*.

      This is one of the cases I'm glad I couldn't see the page because by default I have Javascript off.

  2. Re:Absolutely nothing new about this by IamTheRealMike · · Score: 3, Informative

    Fortunately, despite the name, it seems BountySource also supports fundraisers aka Kickstarter-style schemes aka "assurance contracts". We know from Kickstarter that this model can scale to very large investments, when the project leaders are credible and there are lots of people who want something done. Unfortunately Kickstarter has a very narrow focus, so it's really great to see someone step up and create a competitor focused on the open source world. If I didn't already have a job I'd definitely consider experimenting with funding myself this way.

  3. Bounty Source is over 7 Years Old by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

    Looking at my e-mail archives, I've had an account on BountySource since September 2006. It isn't new.