The rise of AI is transforming the landscape for open source maintainers, challenging the value of software licenses and the future of both open and closed source software.
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John O'Nolan is a thinker and entrepreneur passionate about open source and journalism, known for creating Ghost.
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The author discusses the challenges of integrating social web technology in Ghost 6.0, emphasizing the importance of making complex terms and concepts accessible to users. They reflect on the need to minimize jargon and create fam...
5.1$136M
2025-08-18 • open source publishing revenue ghost indie developers
The post discusses the financial success of Ghost, a non-profit organization focused on open source software, which has generated over $136 million, including $36 million from managed hosting and $100 million from platform revenue...
4.8I'm making an RSS reader
2025-12-05 • productivity software rss specification
The author is creating a new RSS reader called Alcove because existing options do not meet their needs. They express frustration with current RSS apps, email distractions, and social media algorithms, and seek a simple, focused pl...
012 years of Ghost
2025-05-06 • technology open source publishing
The text celebrates the 12th anniversary of Ghost, an open-source publishing platform. It highlights the growth of the platform from an idea to a business generating $8M/year in revenue. It emphasizes the importance of independent...
The text discusses the evolution of AI and its impact on chess. It highlights the strengths and weaknesses of machines and humans in chess, and the concept of 'centaurs' - human/computer combo teams. It also mentions the first 'ad...
0Democratising publishing
2024-10-30 •
Ghost is a non-profit foundation that gives away its intellectual property under a permissive MIT license. It generates around $7.5M in annual revenue and has been profitable for the past 12 years. The company is focused on democr...
0ProNotes
2024-04-17 •
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0How members got added to Ghost
2024-04-12 •
The text discusses the early sketches made for the idea of memberships and subscriptions in Ghost, a blogging platform. It highlights the inspiration from Ben Thompson and the combination of blogs and newsletters. The author also ...
0A decade after being rejected by YC
2024-03-22 •
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0How web bloat impacts users with slow devices
2024-03-21 •
The text discusses the impact of web bloat on users with slow devices, focusing on the use of client-side JS libraries and the performance of different platforms. It highlights the importance of minimizing JS and the approach take...
0A new start blog for 2024
2024-03-11 •
The author discusses their new project called Vintas, a hiring platform for remote teams, and their frustration with sharing content on Twitter and Threads. They are moving to a custom Ghost blog to share content of any length and...