Will you consider making the source code available?

[segfly]

You seem to truly appreciate the value open-source projects in the creation of this product. Hardware, software, platforms, etc. In that spirit of openness, will you consider open-sourcing the custom code you wrote for this project?

I read that you have put many hours into the developing the source and optimizing to fit on the Digispark. But as you have yourself said: you don't have the time to provide firmware updates. You may think that in providing the source you won't be rewarded for your hard work, but IMHO I don't think that will be the case:

• People searching for this type of device on ebay/Amazon are looking for a turnkey solution - not DIY from source.
• The Digispark is out of stock for the foreseeable future, making DIY difficult anyway.
• The security-conscious will attempt to avoid buying, let alone plugging-in, an untrusted USB device without building the firmware from source. (Not to imply you are untrustworthy, but someone in your supply-chain could be. There's no way for a consumer to know.)

I hope you will give this request consideration. You don't have to actively maintain the source, but making it available will give additional value to those who purchase or are considering purchasing your product.

[ElectricRCAircraftGuy]

I think you have some good points. This is something I'll think about and try to put some time into when able.

[jeff-zone]

I was wondering about this as well. I wanted to find a way to have it do very specific tasks for me with mouse clicks.

[ElectricRCAircraftGuy]

@segfly and @jeff-zone , I'm thinking about releasing the source code as Sponsorware. See these links:

1. https://github.com/sponsorware/docs
2. https://calebporzio.com/sponsorware
3. https://github.com/sponsors/calebporzio

What that means is that I would initially release the source code only to those who sponsor me for some amount > $X. Once I reach N number of sponsors, I'd release it publicly for the world.

Caleb Porzio (see links above) first did it with his sushi project. For anyone who sponsored him with $14/month, $29/month, or $249/month, or more, he instantly gave them access to the source code. Once he hit 75 sponsors he released it publicly for everyone.

I'd like to do something similar.

What do you think about this idea? What should I make my $X/month and N number of sponsors be?

I spend hundreds of hours a year writing free and open source (FOSS) software, and spent 3 years and hundreds of hours on this firmware for the ComputaPranksta, and currently have 0 sponsors. I'd like to be able to do more open source work and open things up more to the public, but I need sponsors and money too. Otherwise it's as good as a dead-end job, and not worth pursuing.