[ILUG] making a living writing free software

[Edward McCaughan]

something that's been rummaging around my brain lately is the idea that 
software should be free vs making a living programming and figured you 
guys might have some interesting insight.

currently on one hand we have my friend ben, who releases everything as 
gpl or similar and refuses to use or willingly have contact with closed 
source software. On the other hand there's me, in the middle of 
university, with similar beliefs that software should be free, but with 
even stronger beliefs in the bills the landlord sends me every month.

So what do you guys think is the best solution? how do you make a living 
programming, while still living up to the ideals of free software?

heres the ways I can think of so far...

1-free software, paid support (the RHEL type of thing)
2-donations-does anyone know how well does this works?
3-charge per license and give the source code etc. out only on request 
(depends on peoples conscience and businesses being less likely to 
pirate it)
4-release code as free, charge for required resources (the current state 
of quake 3, where you still need the graphics etc. from the original 
game disc to play with the open sourced program)
5-get sponsored by a bigger company-google summer of code, employees of 
big companies writing code for the linux kernel, bounties etc.
5-release as free software, rob old ladies.

Edward McCaughan

(by the way, is there any shorter way of saying free-as-in-beer? 
generally when I say 'free' I mean in the free-as-in-speech way 
(although generally releasing free as in speech means the free as in 
beer is a given))