Ultimately I’d prefer he didn’t, as it’s reinforcing the race to the bottom you refer to above. Yes google caused it, yes we choose to participate. I am also a developer and pushed out apps without ad support in business contexts, admittedly niche, but basically a single person should not be able to monetize at this level and for just their own gain. We lose a lot compared to any short term benefit. Yes I’m talking ideals, I want people to focus more on ideals generally and less on growth and monetization.

People still sell software the traditional way, especially B2B. I don’t like your argument because it assumes someone needs to be paid, community efforts benefit the community and there are plenty of people who just want to make use of their technology on their own terms. They can put ads in this that’s their choice, but even adfree if tracking is bundled in it can’t be said to be ethical. The community excitement does baffle me a bit, respectfully.