Thomas Depierre
Software engineer writing about maintenance, open source and the industrial reality of software — the author of "I am not a supplier".
Thomas Depierre did not write this page. ppll compiled it from their own words, each linked to the source. Is this you? · Report a mistake
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What they believe
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Open source won because it let companies bypass procurement, legal review and contracts, not because it was free of charge.
FOSS solve that problem far more than it solves “we don’t want to pay”. Most corporations would be surprised by how cheap it would cost them to pay for the FOSS software they use.
softwaremaxims.comSaid 16 Nov 2025This on korrents
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Most of the code the world runs on is maintained by hobbyists with an hour or two a month, so any proposal that needs more than that will simply be ignored.
It means that anything you offer must fit in 1h per month. That is it. And if it does not, if it needs more involvement than that, we, as maintainers, will not do it. At all.
softwaremaxims.comSaid 1 Apr 2024This on korrents
The bold line is korrents’ wording; the quote is theirs. These 2: what they wrote before what they said aloud, one per source, newest first.
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As its own page →Hiding
18 July
11 January
16 November 2025
From one piece How FOSS Won and Why It Matters 4 beliefs · softwaremaxims.com
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Their words
It significantly lowered the bar to production. It is how we got the whole society to run on software. If you make it harder for hobbyists maintainers, you are going to crash society.
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Their words
Making licenses suddenly commercial for big entities? You are forcing people to go back through the Procurement process. They will shift over time back to a FOSS solution, even if it is less good.
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Their words
You cannot go back. If the solution you offer recreate any of the Supply Chain framework problem, then your solution is Dead On Arrival.
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Their words
FOSS solve that problem far more than it solves “we don’t want to pay”. Most corporations would be surprised by how cheap it would cost them to pay for the FOSS software they use.
16 April 2024
1 April 2024
From one piece You Are All On The Hobbyists Maintainers’ Turf Now 3 beliefs · softwaremaxims.com
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Their words
This is not the same world that you were part of. The complexity is off the chart; we are hidden layers and layers under the scaffolding. And we are used everywhere.
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Their words
If your plans for open-source sustainability or security do not align first and foremost with this population it is not going to achieve anything.
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Their words
It means that anything you offer must fit in 1h per month. That is it. And if it does not, if it needs more involvement than that, we, as maintainers, will not do it. At all.
23 August 2023
14 July 2023
3 July 2023
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29 May 2023
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25 April 2023
27 February 2023
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31 December 2022
From one piece I am not a supplier 4 beliefs · softwaremaxims.com
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Their words
If you use this, I owe you nothing. At all. We have no relationship. I put this up online on the condition that if you use it, all the risks are on you.
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Their words
But to do that, I am going to have to become a supplier. Which means you are going to have to start to pay me. A fair price, that we can negotiate. Under a different license.
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Their words
We are not suppliers. All the people writing and maintaining these projects, we are not suppliers. We do not have a business relationship with all these organisations.
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korrents.com
Maintainers of widely used open source software are not adequately funded, and that is a real and unsolved problem.Their words
Hell even worse, a lot of the libraries that underpin the fabric of what we all call the digital economy have trouble getting enough money to pay for food.
Nothing matches.
Beliefs
Korrents What they believe 11 beliefs — each backed by an exact quote.
Each is a — compiled by korrents.com, not by them: the one-line wordings are korrents', the quotes are theirs.
Recent
Open source won because it let companies bypass procurement, legal review and contracts, not because it was free of charge.
FOSS solve that problem far more than it solves “we don’t want to pay”. Most corporations would be surprised by how cheap it would cost them to pay for the FOSS software they use.
How FOSS Won and Why It Matters Said 16 Nov 2025
Any fix for open source that recreates the friction of a commercial supply chain is dead on arrival, because that friction is what open source escaped.
You cannot go back. If the solution you offer recreate any of the Supply Chain framework problem, then your solution is Dead On Arrival.
How FOSS Won and Why It Matters Said 16 Nov 2025
Charging large companies for a licence sends them back through procurement, so they drift to a worse free alternative rather than pay.
Making licenses suddenly commercial for big entities? You are forcing people to go back through the Procurement process. They will shift over time back to a FOSS solution, even if it is less good.
How FOSS Won and Why It Matters Said 16 Nov 2025
Show 8 more
The same absence of contracts and lawyers that let companies adopt open source freely is what let experts publish it, and raising the bar would break both.
It significantly lowered the bar to production. It is how we got the whole society to run on software. If you make it harder for hobbyists maintainers, you are going to crash society.
How FOSS Won and Why It Matters Said 16 Nov 2025
Most of the code the world runs on is maintained by hobbyists with an hour or two a month, so any proposal that needs more than that will simply be ignored.
It means that anything you offer must fit in 1h per month. That is it. And if it does not, if it needs more involvement than that, we, as maintainers, will not do it. At all.
You Are All On The Hobbyists Maintainers’ Turf Now Said 1 Apr 2024
Any plan for open source sustainability or security that is not built around hobbyist maintainers will achieve nothing.
If your plans for open-source sustainability or security do not align first and foremost with this population it is not going to achieve anything.
You Are All On The Hobbyists Maintainers’ Turf Now Said 1 Apr 2024
Veterans of the 1990s free software movement do not understand the world today’s maintainers work in, and should listen before proposing fixes for it.
This is not the same world that you were part of. The complexity is off the chart; we are hidden layers and layers under the scaffolding. And we are used everywhere.
You Are All On The Hobbyists Maintainers’ Turf Now Said 1 Apr 2024
Maintainers of widely used open source software are not adequately funded, and that is a real and unsolved problem.
Hell even worse, a lot of the libraries that underpin the fabric of what we all call the digital economy have trouble getting enough money to pay for food.
I am not a supplier Said 31 Dec 2022
An open source maintainer is not a supplier: there is no relationship with the companies using the code, so they cannot impose requirements on the person who wrote it.
We are not suppliers. All the people writing and maintaining these projects, we are not suppliers. We do not have a business relationship with all these organisations.
I am not a supplier Said 31 Dec 2022
If a company wants a maintainer to work to its standards, it has to start paying them under a different licence first.
But to do that, I am going to have to become a supplier. Which means you are going to have to start to pay me. A fair price, that we can negotiate. Under a different license.
I am not a supplier Said 31 Dec 2022
The warranty disclaimer in a free licence is the real deal being struck: the entire risk of using the code falls on whoever uses it.
If you use this, I owe you nothing. At all. We have no relationship. I put this up online on the condition that if you use it, all the risks are on you.
I am not a supplier Said 31 Dec 2022
Beliefs others hold too
Maintainers of widely used open source software are not adequately funded, and that is a real and unsolved problem. 3 hold this
Hell even worse, a lot of the libraries that underpin the fabric of what we all call the digital economy have trouble getting enough money to pay for food.
I am not a supplier Said 31 Dec 2022
What is a korrent?
A korrent is a belief a person has stated in their own words: one sentence stating the claim, backed by a quote and a source, kept at korrents.com.
Under a name here, the quoted block is what they actually said. The korrent beneath it is the claim those words support, in korrents' wording — tap it to see the record, its source, and who else holds it.
Nobody here wrote their own korrents. They are compiled from public statements, and a person can change their mind, which is recorded too.
Recommends rcmnd
rcmnd What they recommend 31 things — each backed by an exact quote.
Compiled by rcmnd.app, not by them: the quotes are theirs, and each links to the post it was copied from.
Recent
Loved Uchida Bistro Chalk Marker
Uchida Bistro Chalk Marker (medium and small): I use these to go on the glass-board and i cannot advise them enough.
softwaremaxims.com 9 Aug 2021
Loved YubiKey
Yubikey: I have an old yubikey i bought years ago. It is my 2FA go to device and i cannot live without.
softwaremaxims.com 9 Aug 2021
Uses XP-Pen Deco Pro Medium
XP Pen Deco Pro medium: I am testing using a graphic tablet for all the sessions in which i need to draw.
softwaremaxims.com 9 Aug 2021
Show 28 more
Liked Logitech Spotlight
But this one work and does a lot of stuff that i sometime use. So hey. Not too bad.
softwaremaxims.com 9 Aug 2021
Mixed on Stream Deck XL
Streamdeck XL: This was bought as a way to pad an invoice of audio stuff, on a whim. But to be honest, it is super useful.
softwaremaxims.com 9 Aug 2021
Liked WASD Keyboard V3
Nothing bad to say, if you like the Clears, this is for you.
softwaremaxims.com 9 Aug 2021
Loved Logitech MX Vertical
Logitech released this one a couple year ago and i am not going back.
softwaremaxims.com 9 Aug 2021
Loved Ergotron LX monitor arm
Invest in your Quality of Life and go straight to Ergotron. Trust me.
softwaremaxims.com 9 Aug 2021
Mixed on Asus VG27A
Asus VG27A: Lightweight, 27" (so easier to set vertical and closer to me), good response time, 2560x1440. OK that is it for the good points.
softwaremaxims.com 9 Aug 2021
Loved AOC Q3277PQU
2x AOC Q3277PQU: These are amazing. Fast response, great colors, 32", 2560x1440, great angles, good black.
softwaremaxims.com 9 Aug 2021
Disliked MacBook Pro
Macbook pro: Ugh I wan this thing to disappear.
softwaremaxims.com 9 Aug 2021
Uses Fedora
I use Linux (Fedora) on the Thinkpad for all of my daily work need.
softwaremaxims.com 9 Aug 2021
Liked ThinkPad T480s
It just works, it has a good battery life, Fedora just worked on it. Nothing bad to say, it does the work without being in the middle.
softwaremaxims.com 9 Aug 2021
Liked Magewell Pro Capture Dual HDMI 4K Plus LT
Magewell Pro Capture Dual HDMI 4K Plus LT: OK so let's be honest. This is overkill.
softwaremaxims.com 9 Aug 2021
What others say about Magewell Pro Capture Dual HDMI 4K Plus LT →
Liked Elgato Green Screen
Elgato Greenscren: Nothing special to say, you can find copies going around if you want cheaper, this is still a really good green screen, easy to set up.
softwaremaxims.com 9 Aug 2021
Loved GVM Desk Mount LED Video Light
Discovered these thanks to Adam Savage's Tested, they were a pain to get a hold off in Europe. Had to import them from the US. But totally worth it.
softwaremaxims.com 9 Aug 2021
Uses Logitech C920
Logitech c920: Nothing special to say, the standard Logitech good webcam.
softwaremaxims.com 9 Aug 2021
Loved AKG K712
AKG K712 and AKG Q701: My best headphones i have ever owned.
softwaremaxims.com 9 Aug 2021
Liked Yamaha MG10XU
That said, being able to hot plug an audio mixing table into Linux and it Just Works TM is rare enough that i think it was worth the price.
softwaremaxims.com 9 Aug 2021
Uses Cloudlifter CL-1
Cloudlifter CL-1: The SM7B output a relatively low signal. This pre-amp does the job to boost it.
softwaremaxims.com 9 Aug 2021
Recommends Rode PSA1
Rode PSA-1: You need a boom arm that can stand the weight of the SM7B and will work well. This one is a tank and work perfectly out of the box. That is rare. After 2 years, it has barely moved. 100% recommend.
softwaremaxims.com 9 Aug 2021
Loved Shure SM7B
Shure SM7B: THE mic. I used to use a Blue Yeti. When time came to upgrade, i went all in. You cannot go wrong with this one, and it will be one of the best for at least a decade.
softwaremaxims.com 9 Aug 2021
Loved Glass-board 90x120cm
So i decided to try a glass-board. 100% would recommend, it is a massive upgrade.
softwaremaxims.com 9 Aug 2021
Liked IKEA Bekant desk
Ikea Bekant: The basic Ikea desk. Not a lot to say. It works.
softwaremaxims.com 9 Aug 2021
Liked IKEA JÄRVFJÄLLET office chair
Ikea JÄRVFJÄLLET: I think this is the minimum acceptable home office chair. At this price point, i have not found better.
softwaremaxims.com 9 Aug 2021
Mixed on Release It! Second Edition
Release It! Second Edition, by Michael T. Nygard I feel ambivalent about this book.
softwaremaxims.com 14 Jan 2020
Liked The ETTO Principle: Efficiency-Thoroughness Trade-Off
This short book is a good introduction to a term that we consider all the time in software.
softwaremaxims.com 14 Jan 2020
What others say about The ETTO Principle: Efficiency-Thoroughness Trade-Off →
Loved The Unity of Mistakes
It is probably one of the best book i have seen on how we talk about mistakes as operators of the systems that failed.
softwaremaxims.com 14 Jan 2020
Loved The 2020 Commission Report on the North Korean Nuclear Attacks Against the United States
Jeffrey Lewis provide one of the most gripping believable narrative of how an incident unfold. It is also one of the best post-incident review artifact i have seen in the past few years.
softwaremaxims.com 14 Jan 2020
Loved Accelerate
If you are in tech and you only have place for one book in 2020, read it. It is refreshing to see something with reliable data and research behind.
softwaremaxims.com 14 Jan 2020
Recommends SRE Weekly
I advise to follow sreweekly by Lex Neva for a weekly newsletter of various incidents and analysis and outage.
softwaremaxims.com 14 May 2019
Where they publish
Blog Musings about software His blog on software maintenance and open source. Has a feed.
Recent
- Reviewing AI Code Is Not A Viable Argument 18 Jul 2026 I am a skeptic of the utility of LLM in software development. It is not because of IP laws problems (even if they are highly problematic), nor is it for ecological and ressource comsumptions reasons. It is not even for…
- The Hobbyist Maintainer Economic Gravity Well 11 Jan 2026 In the OpenSource Supply Chain discourse in the past few years, we got many versions of the same article. The title is usually something like “unpaid maintainer of library X demand Big Company to shut up or pay them mon…
- How FOSS Won and Why It Matters 16 Nov 2025 I regularly comment on the Internet on my views on most schemes proposed to fix FOSS problems. They are mostly negative. I think that most of these schemes cannot achieve any meaningful impact. It seems that most of the…
Show 7 more
- You Are All On The Hobbyists Maintainers’ Turf Now 1 Apr 2024 For quite some time, I have felt some unease at the public discourse around OpenSource. In the past few years, we have seen a growing discourse around the sustainability and security of the large body of OpenSource soft…
- Where did the Rust go? 23 Aug 2023 There is a term that is on a lot of lips lately. “Memory Safety”. The theme of the early 10s for software security is “Move to memory-safe languages”. You hear and see it everywhere
- The Cloud Is Not Optional 14 Jul 2023 When you hear that one of the vendors responsible for keeping government organizations safe had a security breach, you can easily decide that this is unacceptable. When you hear that it is hard to know who is affected a…
- Remove Constraints To Get Results 6 Jun 2023 We look at the world and make decisions for our actions through models. Depending on the context, some models will be more fruitful to apply than others. There is a model that I have found tremendously helpful, in parti…
- What Security Tokens For 2FA Say About FOSS Consumers 27 May 2023 Recently, PyPI announced that they would force everyone that maintains a project or an organization on the platform will have to enable 2FA. This is one more step in the direction of strongly protecting the package prov…
- The Economics of Developer Tooling 25 May 2023 It would be a major boon to software velocity, maintenance burden and safety to bring more attention to developer tooling, in particular bringing to everyone’s toolkit the techniques and technologies developed since the…
- We Need More Process Engineering in Software 25 Apr 2023 When you peruse the depth of software engineering as a discipline, you find a lot of techniques and tools laying around in corners. Pattern matching, tighter type-checking compilers, property-based testing, snappy IDE,…
Link verified 20 Sept 2026. Recent items update automatically from the channel.
GitHub @DianaOlympos Their code.
Recent
- jekyll_softwaremaxims — Personal website ported to jekyll 18 Jul 2026
- neo_unlock — A small app to manage 40k team matrices 16 Apr 2024
- software-re-ideas — A repository of possible research path for RE applied to software 3 Jul 2023
Show 4 more
Link verified 23 Sept 2026. Recent items update automatically from the channel.
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