How do open source OS 'SerenityOS' developers make a living?



How does Andreas Kling, who created ``

SerenityOS '' that appeared in 2018 as an OS created from scratch rather than forked from an existing OS, make a living while developing open source projects? or publish the details.

How I make a living working on SerenityOS – Andreas Kling – I like computers!
https://awesomekling.github.io/How-I-make-a-living-working-on-SerenityOS/



In 2018, Mr. Kling started developing 'SerenityOS'. The project was launched by one person, but after that, members joined, and it has become an open source community where hundreds of developers actively discuss.

Among them, Mr. Kling has been making a living as a full-time job developing 'SerenityOS' since May 2021.

The main source of income is “individual sponsorships and donations”. Mr. Kling has been registered with Patreon, a patron recruitment service since April 2019. We are also on GitHub Sponsors where you can ask for help from the developers.

As of October 29, 2022, Mr. Kling has 268 patrons on Patreon for $ 1,411 per month (about 209,000 yen), and 263 sponsors on GitHub Sponsors for $ 2,136 per month (about 317,000 yen). It is said that it is receiving support from In addition, less than $ 200 (about 29,600 yen) per month from less than 5 PayPal users, and less than $ 50 (about 7,400 yen) per month from less than 5 virtual currency users.

Initially, he checked the numbers in detail, but eventually he became stressed, so now he only checks the numbers once a month.

Mr. Kling's secondary source of income is 'YouTube'. Mr. Kling has been uploading videos to YouTube since the very early stages of SerenityOS development and has earned $ 65 per month (about 9600 yen) from 58 registered users. Although the details cannot be disclosed due to the terms of use, in October 2022, there was an income of $ 50 (about 7400 yen) from 8 Super Chats, including the above-mentioned registered user's monthly fee of $ 315 (about 46,800 yen) It seems that he got it.

Furthermore, 'goods sales' is positioned as the third pillar. This project was started because some people said, 'If I get a sticker for my laptop, I can feel more comfortable supporting the project.' However, once you buy a T-shirt, it will be unnecessary for a while, so sales are not stable, and it was $ 0 in September 2022 and $ 101 (about 15,000 yen) in October 2022.

On the other hand, it seems that they were asked to advertise mobile games, VPN services, programming courses, etc. as potential sources of income. Mr. Kring has not received any such offers. In addition, JetBrains, the developer of the development environment 'CLion', said that three annual licenses were sent to YouTube viewers when they started using CLion. Mr. Kring says that he is 'happy to be a partner' because he uses CLion on and off YouTube every day, but he is still 'just a friend'.

In addition, it seems that there was also a voice from venture capital, but the idea that ``I would rather have many small philanthropists who believe in me than be instructed by one large investor.'' Since then, I refuse.

So, Mr. Kring's monthly income is about $ 4200 (about 623,000 yen). Sweden, where Mr. Kling lives, is known for its high taxes, but Mr. and Mrs. Kring are living a simple life, and the balance is just about balanced.

in Note, Posted by logc_nt