> Yeah, you are in the minority with that belief.

The OP does have a platform, thanks to his work. If he did not diligently pour his creative talent into core-js & without it's widespread usage, he would probably not have the audience & we wouldn't be having a discussion about him or his situation. He does have a platform which he most likely could monetize.

He does have a platform which he most likely could monetize. It's like a Youtuber who gains a large audience. Youtube does not pay much & many subjects are demonitized, yet many Youtubers are creative in monetization. Of course a big advantage of having one's face on the screen talking to a large audience is attention, making it easier to get the message out & to create a market.

I do plenty of open source work & my partner was a prominent early Youtuber. It's not easy & takes a mostly different skillset than just creating code or content, but the opportunity is there. Some are quite talented at creating code/content & monetizing code/content. I'm not so talented at the monetization aspect, but I see the opportunity is there. I for one, use open source as a way to share code between my projects...making it easier, via IP licensing, to reuse code.

I would personally love to see more people sharing on how they use their creative talents, hard work, & audiences to earn a living. I think there is a better way than relying on donations. For example, the creator/audience relationship on platforms like Patreon or Rumble seem like a way to earn money in a dignified manner.