I want to make FOSS for a living. How?

[rectec794613]

Hello, community. Lend a figurative ear to me, please.

Right now I'm in my junior (11th) year of high school. To be brief, I'm at that point in life where future academic and professional interests start to take over my current interests.

Now for a little backstory. I've been using Ubuntu ever since I got my first (working) computer, back in late 2007, when I was 11. Since then my knowledge of operating systems, GNU/Linux, technology, graphics, audio, everything has flourished beyond the skill level of any of my fellow students. I'm not a smug guy and I don't like showing off, but if there's one thing I'm proud of, it's this perfect click with technology that I seem to have.

Now that I'm at this grade level in high school, it's time for everybody to start focusing on their future, which I've been doing for a while actually.

I'll get to the point... I am aspiring to become involved, professionally, in software development. Programming, interface design, things like that. I want to make free and open source software. I want to give back to the community, which has provided wonderful free software (including but not limited to Ubuntu) that has really inspired me to return the favor.

But how will I make a living doing this? The only idea I have is working for Canonical, but is that my only option? Will I even get paid enough to support a family and a roof over their heads? I'd love to make free software, but I'll need to move out of my parent's house eventually. Can't have kids or a wife staying there either. What about Google? Very funny. The universities will no doubt want me to go the more traditional route, and work for the usual companies like Microsoft, Adobe, etc. and make proprietary software, and they'll brainwash me (sarcasm)... do not want this future, to say the least.

What are my options? Can I just make paid software for a living and make FOSS as a hobby? Can I go against my nature and charge people money for something I don't want to put a price tag on? Who do I work for? How do you guys do it?

[Erik1984]

I can't answer from experience but I think you stated the best option already: learn professional software development and do FOSS as a hobby. Sometimes there might be jobs where you can develop FOSS but the vast majority of software development jobs will be on proprietary projects.

Really cool you started so early with Ubuntu. Wish I had known Ubuntu when I was 11 :P

[Lars Noodén]

Break out of the mindset of "selling" software. The money is in using it. There are lots of small, medium and even large sized companies and institutions that use FOSS as a means to accomplish the tasks they use to make money. As to how to find them, they are around if you pick an area you are interested in and then investigate. Many of them also extend and customize the FOSS tools they have in their shop and feed the improvements back to the community.

What languages do you enjoy coding in? That will be a large part in determining what to look for and where to look.

[Paqman]

But how will I make a living doing this? The only idea I have is working for Canonical, but is that my only option?

Nope. Red Hat, Novell, Google, Intel, etc, etc. Lots of companies hire devs to work on open source software. Heck, even Microsoft had a bloke working on the Linux kernel to get their hypervisors supported in it.

There are some independent devs who manage to make a living (the guy who makes Calibre leaps to mind) but that's a much harder road, you'll have more job security as an employee.

Don't forget there's a lot more to IT than just bashing out fresh code. You can gainfully (and lucratively) spend your career as a sysadmin, dba, etc for open source ecosystems. Plenty of big companies have huge systems built around Linux and various open source stacks.

[Megaptera]

Lots of big users of Linux at this Dec.'12 list inc US Army, US Court & US Postal Sevice: http://aaxnet.com/design/linux2.html

[AstroLlama]

Developing free software doesn't mean you have to take an absolute ideological stance against non-free software! you can do both. many programmers are involved with projects of different liscences.

[Dr. C]

Free Software is a multi billion dollar industry worldwide. From companies like Google that were literally built on Free Software to the small developers who sell custom software built from Free Software to companies worldwide. The major stock exchanges worldwide, the very heart of capitalism, run on GNU/Linux. So if one wishes to purchase (or sell short :wink:) MSFT, AAPL or some other propriety software company the trade will very likely get executed on servers running GNU/Linux.

The myth that Free Software means poverty for those who develop, maintain and support Free Software should have been debunked before the OP was born, unfortunately there are many still who perpetuate this myth.

[mastablasta]

you can get payed for service. for e.g. adopting the FOSS programe to fit a particular small company.

[Dr. C]

you can get payed for service. for e.g. adopting the FOSS programe to fit a particular small company.

Exactly and this is huge. It is what I mean with custom software.

[Mikeb85]

Hello, community. Lend a figurative ear to me, please.

Right now I'm in my junior (11th) year of high school. To be brief, I'm at that point in life where future academic and professional interests start to take over my current interests.

Now for a little backstory. I've been using Ubuntu ever since I got my first (working) computer, back in late 2007, when I was 11. Since then my knowledge of operating systems, GNU/Linux, technology, graphics, audio, everything has flourished beyond the skill level of any of my fellow students. I'm not a smug guy and I don't like showing off, but if there's one thing I'm proud of, it's this perfect click with technology that I seem to have.

Now that I'm at this grade level in high school, it's time for everybody to start focusing on their future, which I've been doing for a while actually.

I'll get to the point... I am aspiring to become involved, professionally, in software development. Programming, interface design, things like that. I want to make free and open source software. I want to give back to the community, which has provided wonderful free software (including but not limited to Ubuntu) that has really inspired me to return the favor.

But how will I make a living doing this? The only idea I have is working for Canonical, but is that my only option? Will I even get paid enough to support a family and a roof over their heads? I'd love to make free software, but I'll need to move out of my parent's house eventually. Can't have kids or a wife staying there either. What about Google? Very funny. The universities will no doubt want me to go the more traditional route, and work for the usual companies like Microsoft, Adobe, etc. and make proprietary software, and they'll brainwash me (sarcasm)... do not want this future, to say the least.

What are my options? Can I just make paid software for a living and make FOSS as a hobby? Can I go against my nature and charge people money for something I don't want to put a price tag on? Who do I work for? How do you guys do it?

Start with just building some basic apps and putting them up on Github, and see if anyone forks it. You're young, you have a way to go yet.

Also, as someone else said, the money isn't in selling software per se, but selling services, which can be done with free software. Anyhow, the best bet is likely going to be doing it as a hobby, few people make money from free software itself.

[forrestcupp]

Nope. Red Hat, Novell, Google, Intel, etc, etc. Lots of companies hire devs to work on open source software. Heck, even Microsoft had a bloke working on the Linux kernel to get their hypervisors supported in it.True, but I'll bet the odds aren't good of getting a job with one of the few big companies who work with FOSS. And remember that most of Google isn't about FOSS. That's just a very small part of what makes up Google. I believe that for them, FOSS is just a means to an end.

That's not to say it's impossible to get a job with one of these companies. It's the talented people who have a lot of motivation that end up there. But the good thing is that if you develop a skill for programming FOSS, you can always use that skill set in a proprietary environment if FOSS just isn't going to make you a living.

[rectec794613]

Wow! I just got up and I must say after reading all of this, thanks for all the replies, everyone. : ) I guess there is hope to be able to make a living doing this. Sorry if I can't respond to everyone individually. One idea I have now is to work for a company that at least makes some FOSS, like Google, and are aware of its benefits. I think making FOSS on the side is not a bad idea, as long as I have something to do professionally.

[andamaru]

Personally, I would take a project submit some patches and offer paid support. For example take ogre and create a game engine out of it and charge for support.

If you can get some capital I would create an html5 and webgl engine and build a tool similar to adobe flash to create apps and games with it. The whole thing can be open source and you can sell support.

[forrestcupp]

Personally, I would take a project submit some patches and offer paid support. For example take ogre and create a game engine out of it and charge for support.

Lol. Just don't document your code at all, and charge for the API documentation. :)

[llanitedave]

Space-X uses Linux and C++ to develop and use software to design and manufacture its Falcon rockets.

Just one example among many. You may find it in surprising places.

[andamaru]

Lol. Just don't document your code at all, and charge for the API documentation. :)

:lolflag: That would make a lot of people really sad, but I guess it would work