Top all-time · #7117
Robert Vitonsky
Personal blog · vitonsky.net/blogprogrammingweb
Robert Vitonsky's personal blog at vitonsky.net covers programming and web. Since 2022, 10 different Hacker News readers have linked it 15 times, most often “Open source product is a marketing tool”. It is still writing: the last post was on 2026-09-18, and you can follow it by feed.
Too few sampled comments (1) to say how often HN recommends it.?
Why HN links it
HN readers cite this blog as a counterpoint in the debate over funding open source. The linked post argues that open source projects can be used as marketing for paid services. Only one comment refers to it.
Summarised by Claude from a sample of 1 HN comments that link here. Each comment is marked recommending, critical or neutral (citing without judging); how this works.
Tech-savvy's notes and insights in software engineering: practices, findings, and advice
Most-linked posts?
- Open source product is a marketing tool2 people · 2 mentions · first linked 2025-06-26
- Refusing TypeScript is a signal that you don't care about code quality2 people · 2 mentions · first linked 2023-09-08
What Hacker News says?
One yet another narrative that claim all people owe to an open source. I believe, once in deep future, an open source developers will grown and stop repeating this sectarian mantra. No one owes you anything. If you do opensource and you need in money - use your open source as marketing tool to promote services you sell. It's simple as 2+2, I've mention it in my blog post https://vitonsky.net/blog/2025/06/24/open-sou…
Comment linking /blog/2025/06/24/open-source/
on “Funding Open Source like public infrastructure”Submitted Don't guess my language as a story · 670 points
HN discussionSubmitted Build systems, not heroes as a story · 61 points
HN discussionSubmitted Props Are Not a Design System as a story · 4 points
HN discussionSubmitted Open source product is a marketing tool as a story · 4 points
HN discussionSubmitted Browser extensions spy on you, even if its developers don't as a story · 4 points
HN discussionSubmitted Hide Zeros for Users as a story · 3 points
HN discussionSubmitted Decision Logs as a story · 3 points
HN discussionSubmitted Refusing TypeScript is a signal that you don't care about code quality as a story · 3 points
HN discussionSubmitted Refusing TypeScript is a signal that you don't care about code quality as a story · 2 points
HN discussionSubmitted Design System Guide as a story · 2 points
HN discussionSubmitted The most big problem of UI kits as a story · 2 points
HN discussionSubmitted Complicated software is required to evolution as a story · 2 points
HN discussionSubmitted Show HN: Nano Queries, a state of the art Query Builder as a story · 1 points
HN discussionSubmitted Keep the logs for retrospective analysis as a story · 1 points
HN discussion