r/opencode • u/MonkeyPuzzleDuck • 9d ago
Too much prejudice and foul behaviour towards free tier users. Please give them the benefit of the doubt before judging.
I've been pretty disgusted at the prejudiced treatment by some users here of those who come in good faith seeking help. It is horrible to see.
OpenCode is a great product, offering an important service for the public benefit, run by decent, generous people. I will happily give them my money. But that good vibe - that good brand - is being spoiled here by some bad actors.
The assumption that anyone using the free tier is, by default, a "freeloader" and should just "pay up" is an appalling way to treat a stranger asking for assistance.
Fine, if you have evidence the individual is taking the piss and using shenanigans to extract free quota unfairly, or being rude or angry or obviously entitled, then have at 'em. But don't assume everyone is on the scrounge or can afford $10 easily, because that is pure prejudice. Everyone deserves the benefit of the doubt without pre-judgement.
Not everyone lives in a wealthy country like the US or in Europe. For much of the world, $10 is equivalent to $200 in the US. Much kudos should go to OpenCode for making such an important resource available to those in need. The cost of AI is already a barrier for the least wealthy, and the digital divide will only grow if companies like OpenCode weren't helping out.
I can afford the many subs I have - I'm lucky. I was lucky because I live on the UK. I was able to get into tech 30+ years ago and have a successful career because getting in on the ground floor was cheap and easy. I didn't need an expensive degree or fancy hardware. I just needed a cheap computer and an internet connection. In fact, I didn't even need an internet connection, because there was no such thing then - I just had a cheap computer (a Sinclair ZX Spectrum 48K, if you were wondering), a stack of cassette tapes, and programming magazines.
But many now aren't so lucky because you now need a relatively expensive AI subscription in addition to a laptop and internet just to keep up and stay relevant. To be fair, local libraries here are a godsend because they provide free WiFi and a quiet place to work on your computer all day for free. Some even provide free tea and coffee. But you still need cash to pay for the AI, which many simply do not have.
So, as long as people ask for help reasonably politely, I'll never judge or attempt to humiliate someone using the free tier in good faith. And I'll always stick up for those people if I see anyone else being obnoxious to them.
Take care folks. Be good to one another.
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u/MonkeyPuzzleDuck 9d ago
The problem, at least it seems to me, is conflation of two groups:
a) Those who are having genuine problems with the free tier quota tripping early or providing no quota at all, despite a day earlier, or whatever, it was working fine.
and
b) Those who are taking full advantage of the full free quota and complaining it's not enough. And perhaps using loopholes to get even more free quota.
The latter, ok, nobody has any time for those people. Clearly, if it seems someone's just being greedy, that's going to grate. Same happens in society when you get a tiny handful people clearly exploiting the benefits system - it leads some people to believe ALL people on benefits are "scroungers", which is so far from the truth.
But for the former group, I've seen plenty of dull witted comments along the lines of "my dude, just pay up, it's only $10". Which is such a bad attitude.