How should we set up the financing of our new, free development universe driven by the pursuit of excellence and efficiency, and with the goal of freeing each individual involved from the clutches of monopoly power?

I know! 💡 
Let's each contribute some money to this big pot, from each according to his ability, and then we'll have a Central Committee distribute it again, to each each according to his needs. And we'll have everyone write a report and nobody will read it, but the report will be filed in the Official Report File.

And anyone who criticizes this system will be considered a dissident, who is exhibiting anti-social behavior. 

 Difference is that we still have choice. Nobody is forcing you to take money from OpenSats. Even more so you have the critical thinking to realise you should maybe stay away from it, that is the first step.

Second step is convincing people you should be funded.

That is the basis of competition, there are winners and there are losers but who is who in that is also based on what your goal is. You may be considered a loser to some but to others a winner because of your independence.

TLDR, I don't think it is likeable to commie behavior, it's all voluntary - which is the important difference for me - not whether there is a big winner or not. 

 Is it truly voluntary, if the Single Payer destroys the market?
Well, yes, in the sense that they aren't going to shoot or arrest me, if I don't comply. So, there is that. 

 Well that last part about not shooting you is the great difference between mafias, state and criminals.

I am fine with the former (voluntary), not the latter.

You're only as good as you customers are willing, so somehow you have to differentiate. You could even do so on sympathy towards your centralization argument, which I find to be valid. You can push that whilst you (pun intended) push commits. 

 It's hard to not be demoralized, watching everyone fall over like dominoes. I was so excited to work in FOSS. I had no idea that this much free money was sloshing around. I was maybe too idealistic.

We're trying to create systems for people who don't care about Nostr. I want to build something that is good enough, that someone will actually pay us to use it.
I know everyone thinks I'm nuts, but I genuinely like the idea of having real customers and solving real problems for them.

Thanks for the words of encouragement. 🫂  GN 

 You're not nuts and I fully support what you are saying. 
There is no such thing as free money. Strings always attached. 

 You have to the right mindset.  

 🫂 

 I still wish there were a way to pay others outside of #bitcoin. Genuinely. 

If developers want #Nostr to grow they are going to have to accept not everyone will (possibly initially) desire to be Orange pilled. That may be a tough pill to swallow. 

Biggest red flag I ever ignored was when The Red Pill was on Reddit. Felt humanity would never be so stupid to buy into that garbage. Then the Red Pill ideology was taken over by a large swathes of toxic masculinity… I know it’s possible. 

Idealism is a noble pursuit. To hold onto the belief we can attain the impossible outside of all logic takes faith in ourselves. Personally, it has been heartbreaking many times but I’ll always push for good. I know the power of a small group working together towards a goal. Seen it for good and bad. 

All Love my friend 🫂 

 🫂