> In particular, developer culture is that developers don't pay for tools, especially not debuggers
I think there are a couple of reasons for this. One is that for many if not most developer tools, there are free options that are at least competitive with paid tools. Another is that developers can, at least in theory, read source code to better understand a tool they use, or even improve it, and therefore want access to the source code. Which means open source tools have an advantage over proprietary tools in addition to price.
I think there are a couple of reasons for this. One is that for many if not most developer tools, there are free options that are at least competitive with paid tools. Another is that developers can, at least in theory, read source code to better understand a tool they use, or even improve it, and therefore want access to the source code. Which means open source tools have an advantage over proprietary tools in addition to price.