Is it a sin to earn money with Linux and free software?

In this blog we've talked quite a bit about the funding of the distributions and programs we use. But, there is much more to the ecosystem than writing code and. this is where the question arises. Is it a sin to earn money with Linux and free software?

I use the word sin quite intentionally. Sin is the willful deviation from the divine law or moral norm. And, both are human constructsIf we decide not to obey them, the sanction does not come from the penal code.

Is it a sin to earn money with Linux and free software?

To explain the point a little better. Legally there is no problem downloading Debian or Arch Linux to a flash drive and selling them on the street or over the Internet. Sure, as long as you clarify that you have no relationship with both projects. Neither, if you want to take a little more work and change the name and the wallpapers and call it, for example, PedrOS. You just have to make sure that the source code with the changes you make is publicly available.

Maybe linuxers used to downloading our own images and creating our own installation media let's look at you sideways But, you have the blessing of Stallman himself.

However, there is an activity that is even less questionable from a legal point of view than this, but from the point of view of perception it seems even more so. We are referring to those who earn money with Linux and free software by offering complementary content or services.

Any attempt to find out directly how much they charge and how much they earn for their work is fruitless. only resorting to indirect sources it is possible to obtain some information.

When trying to delve into the reasons for the refusal, the responses suggest that it seeks to avoid a possible negative reaction from his followers.

Why charge for something free?

The American financier Warren Buffett once said that "The poor invest in money, the rich in time." Anyone that Whether you've set out to create quality content on Linux or anything else, you'll agree that time is much more valuable than money for your work.

You can have the latest hardware on the market, but if you have to work 16 hours in a store to pay for it, your content will be mediocre compared to someone who can spend 10 hours a day on a less capable computer.

The reason why most of the content on Linux and free software in Spanish are reviews of distributions, summary of announcements or copy and paste more or less well translated from foreign blogs is, more than anything lack of time to produce something better. And, that lack of time comes from a lack of resources.

In order for people to pay you, you have to create value. Some content creators in Spanish do it and that is why they manage to monetize it. However, we're far away of the results of the Anglo-Saxons.

Personally, I think that part of the problem is the complex relationship with money that the inhabitants of Spain and its former colonies have.  The Catholic religion has always made, in its doctrine, a cult of austerity and humility. Goods must be at the service of all, no matter how much they have done to earn them.

In other words, the idea of ​​making money with something that literally belongs to everyone, like free software, clashes with what we were instilled in as kids. And if we make money, we will never admit that we do. Vanity is sin.

The Anglo-Saxon countries, in which the different variants of Protestantism predominate, were brought up on a different principle.. Economic success is proof that the one who has it is predestined to eternal salvation. That way, letting the world know how well you're doing is the way to thank God for saving you.

Leaving aside the religious issue, I believe that a cultural change is urgent both in creators and consumers of content. We deserve quality material in our language. And, as I read in the back of a truck. "There is a better life, but it is more expensive"