The Pepper&Carrot project is entirely supported by the generosity of patrons from around the world. By contributing financially, each patron plays a vital role in enabling the creation of new content, and in return, they have the option to receive a special credit at the end of future episodes. Thanks to this system, Pepper&Carrot can stay independent and never have to resort to advertising or any marketing pollution.
jan Pepa&soweli Kawa la, lipu ni la, jan ale li ken jo e pali ale mi. jan Pepa&soweli Kawa la, lipu ni la, pali ale mi li jo pi jan ale, li nasin Free(libre). sina pana ala pana e mani - ken ni tu la, sina ale li pona sama tawa mi. pali mi namako li tawa jan pona pi pana pona la, pali mi namako li lon lipu ni kin. tenpo ala la, jan Pepa&soweli Kawa li alasa sina tan mani sina. tenpo ala la, sina ken jo e pali sin tan mani taso.
mi wile pana e ken jo, e ken pana, e ken pali, e ken esun, e ken mani tawa jan ale kepeken pali mi. lipu ale en sitelen ale en musi ale en pali ale li kepeken taso ilo Free(Libre) pi nasin Open-Source lon ilo GNU/Linux. pali mama ale li lon lipu ni. (o lukin e lipu pi pali mama e lipu pi nasin lawa.) mi wile e ni: sina ante toki e pali mi, li pali e sitelen sama pali mi, li sitelen ilo e sitelen mi, li tawa e sitelen mi, li pali e musi pi pali mi, li pana e pali mi tawa jan ante, li esun e pali mi. pali ni taso li wile taso: o nimi e jan musi (sina wile kepeken musi la, jan musi li jan musi sitelen, li jan pi ante toki, li jan pi pona pali.), o pana e nasin ilo tawa nasin lawa, o toki e ante sina. sina ken pali mute. sina o toki ala e ni, o pali ala sama ni: sina anu pali sina li pona tawa jan pi mama pali anu jan musi. sina wile sona la, o lukin e ni:
nasin lawa Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International.
jan Pepa&soweli Kawa li sitelen pi toki musi, li musi pi pilin pona, li tawa jan ale, li tawa jan lili, li tawa jan suli. pali pi utala ike li lon ala. pali ni li lon ala: sitelen pi musi ala li tawa jan suli. pali li kepeken nasin Free(libre), li kepeken nasin Open-source. jan Pepa&soweli Kawa li ken suli li pali suli li pona mute tawa kulupu pu jo pi jan ala, tawa nasin kulupu pi mani ala. mi wile e ni: pali mi en sitelen mi li pona lukin mute mute tan ni: nasin Free(libre) en nasin Open-source li ike lukin ala. ala ala ala.
sina pana e mani tawa jan ante la jan ante li pana e mani tawa jan pi mama musi la, sina pana e mani mute. tan ni la, mi jo e mani lili taso. taso sina pana e mani tawa jan pi mama musi taso la, sina pana e mani lili taso. tan ni la, mi jo e mani mute. jan esun ante li weka la, pona li mute tawa mi. sina pana e mani tawa mi la, sina pana e pona tawa mi taso. nasin jan Pepa&soweli Kawa li ante ala tan jan pi esun lipu, tan jan pi pana esun lipu, tan jan pi toki esun, tan jan pi toki utala pi nasin pona. nasin esun en nasin jan Pepa&soweli Kawa li nasin pi jan ni ala. nasini esun pi lipu sitelen pi toki musi li kama ike, li weka e mani. pali lili ni li ken ala ken ante e nasin esun suli, li ken ala ken pona e nasin esun suli? ni li ken…
As I look back on the lines I wrote on the homepage ten years ago − "A free(libre) and open-source webcomic supported directly by its patrons to change the comic book industry!" − I'm struck by how much the industry has changed. Was Pepper&Carrot a catalyst for some of these shifts? The internet was a vastly different place back then. Webcomics relied on a single business model: selling merchandise and accepting one-time donations via PayPal. The concept of recurring patronage was still in its infancy.
I'm proud to say that Pepper&Carrot was one of the first webcomics to join the Patreon initiative, pioneered by YouTubers who sought to revolutionize the way artists were supported. Today, patronage platforms are the norm, and it's rare to find an artist without one.
However, not all of my innovations have taken off. My decision to use only free, libre, and open-source software licenses, and to create the entire comic using these tools, remains a rare approach. Many artists have opted for a more traditional model, where they create copyrighted materials and rely on patronage to support their work. While this model often provides "free access" to content, I believe it's a flawed system because it doesn't guarantee it.
In my model, readers don't just fund the creation of content – they also gain guaranteed, irrevocable access to it, along with the right to reuse and modify it, even commercially. This approach ensures that the work remains free and open, rather than being locked behind paywalls or proprietary licenses. In short, what is funded by the audience should belong to the audience.
As I look around at the current state of the industry, I'm more convinced than ever that my approach was the right one. Proprietary software is increasingly plagued by privacy issues, and features (eg. Blockchain/NFTs/AI) that nobody wants except investissors. Meanwhile, artists are struggling with copyright issues, being owned by publishers, platforms, and facing restrictions on where they can publish their work.
That's why my philosophy remains unchanged. I still believe that using Creative Commons licenses and free, libre, and open-source software is the key to true freedom and creativity. My tagline − "A free(libre) and open-source webcomic supported directly by its patrons to change the comic book industry!" − remains a guiding principle for me, even if it's still a minority view.
I know that I'm just a drop in the ocean, but I'm committed to continuing to push for a more open, more free, and more creative industry. I'm proud to be part of a movement that's slowly but surely making progress, and I'm grateful to my patrons for supporting me on this journey.
− David Revoy