> Suppose that in a world where all software is free software, a person
arises
> whose sole skill is programming (this could easily happen). They write a
> powerful, reliable, and flawless program and start selling it for a
reasonable
> price to make a living with their only skill. Their profits skyrocket and
> immediately disappear as people start distributing the software for free.
> Unable to support themselves, they commit suicide.
That's an extreme, unlikely hypothetical.
First, you're assuming that the only way to make money developing software is
by distributing copies. That's not true. Today, most people who make money
developing software do it developing custom software. Selling services as a
programmer is also a perfectly legitimate business that is practiced, and
crowdfunding has potential for being used to develop new software. Why, very
recently, a Kickstarter campaign was used to fund the effort to port OpenShot
to Windows (and Mac OS X, I think).
Second, you're assuming that this developer gives up on everything and kills
himself just because he stopped making money from something. I don't know of
anyone who would do that, except the most mentally unstable teenagers on the
planet. Realistically, they would decide either that they made enough during
the time that people were paying for the copies, or that they didn't make
enough. If they decide that they made enough, they might try it again with
their next program, and if they decide that they didn't, they will abandon
the approach and try another one. Perhaps, instead, they will start offering
customization services for their software, as Richard Stallman did. Or
perhaps they will try crowdfunding for their next interesting program.
