HACKER Q&A
📣 herisson

Ads in readme for open source funding – Thoughts


Hello HN community,

I've been pondering sustainable funding methods for open source projects. One idea that came to mind is integrating non-intrusive advertisements directly into project READMEs.

Would you, as a developer, consider this approach for your open source projects?

If you've already tried this, what has been the community response? Has it generated meaningful revenue?

Do you foresee any major pitfalls or drawbacks to this method?

I understand the importance of keeping the open source ecosystem clean and user-friendly, but I'm curious if this could be a win-win, helping maintainers get compensated for their hard work without compromising the integrity of their projects. Looking forward to your thoughts!


  👤 version_five Accepted Answer ✓
It's a horrible idea, it's like seeing a pristine lake and wondering if we can start chlorinating it to attract more swimmers.

Luckily, if your project got any traction, someone could just host a mirrored version with the ads stripped out.