Comment by gorjusborg
1 day ago
I don't know if it is that simple. Paying by people who develop software will tend to keep the software in good shape, but there's no guarantee.
Also, the developer doesn't necesarily need to own the code to improve it, or build you a copy.
I mean that paying for software keeps the people who write the software from starving to death, or having to fall back on corrupt behaviour (e.g. accepting bribes from the advertising industry) to survive. It is, of course, not a guarantee of continued work quality, but it helps avert the material conditions that inevitably destroy it.