>> Conventional wisdom says that you should build a large community of users, and then you'll figure out how you monetize a subset of those users
This is really just wishful wisdom. Conventional wisdom starts by deciding what value you can add to society and who will pay for it.
Doing the work now, and figuring out the business later isn't a strategy that often ends I success.
As a provider I create OSS out of the excess created selling commercial software to customers. The OSS stuff doesn't pay for my coffee, never mind anything else.
This is really just wishful wisdom. Conventional wisdom starts by deciding what value you can add to society and who will pay for it.
Doing the work now, and figuring out the business later isn't a strategy that often ends I success.
As a provider I create OSS out of the excess created selling commercial software to customers. The OSS stuff doesn't pay for my coffee, never mind anything else.