FOSS increases the general economic output. If you expect more people to donate to appropriate causes, it would generate a greater impact over time. However, if you feel that the public chooses their donation targets poorly, then writing proprietary software and donating that money yourself will produce larger benefits. This is ignoring the potential for “changing things” through the software itself, which is too difficult to calculate.
FOSS increases the general economic output. If you expect more people to donate to appropriate causes, it would generate a greater impact over time. However, if you feel that the public chooses their donation targets poorly, then writing proprietary software and donating that money yourself will produce larger benefits. This is ignoring the potential for “changing things” through the software itself, which is too difficult to calculate.