The Case for Paying Maintainers in Open Source

The text is a passionate argument for paying people to work on open source, emphasizing the importance of sustainability in open source and the need for maintainers to be able to make a living. The author criticizes the pushback against maintainers getting paid and advocates for celebrating every opportunity that allows a maintainer to earn money, despite the flawed mechanisms. The text also discusses the broader societal implications of open source and the difficulties surrounding the sustainability of open source. Additionally, the author defines "open source" and "free software" in a broad sense and explains their interpretation of "sustainability" in the context of open source.