Hacker News Reader

Comment by vijayr | Hacker News Reader

This is probably just wishful thinking, but I wish I had enough money to buy a decently large property and just let people stay there (everything free, including food/stay/healthcare etc) and work on projects like these, for as long as they want. Tech has so many rich people, I dunno why this can't be done. Even if it is just 100 high caliber people staying/working in such a community, they can generate immense value for all of humanity.

View on HN

I rather just get paid to buy those things at home and work from there on OSS projects. Everyone has a different taste, but why not just sponsor projects with money so the author(s) can buy food/stay/healthcare themselves? Or at least fund towards that?

That's a nice idea. But Open Source authors have lives too. Friends, Family, etc. as much as I'd like to live rent free, I wouldn't want to move into a "camp" for Open Source authors.

If someone has enough money, they can lease/buy an entire building (say a 50 apt building in NYC, Seattle or wherever) and let people live in those apartments (for $1/month in rent or something like that). This doesn't need to be a camp or tents in some remote place. This way people can live in those apartments with their families. In cities like NYC, rent is most normal people's biggest expense.

All it takes is just one rich person (there are many in tech) who believes in the idea (or some variation of it) and it can be done.

That said, I was mostly thinking of young/single people when I wrote it. People with kids have more challenges

I'm very hopeful that YC's city-building efforts (if they come to fruition) will include something like this. And it's something I plan to do when I get land in the next decade (not the food/healthcare part but at least a place to stay which IMO is the biggest expense).

Reply on news.ycombinator.com