there are so many free software analytics services.. why can't they all work together on one killer product? is it ego?

@crazypython It's kind of the nature of indie communities, it seems. Like how people use Linux for the geeky independent right to have choice and control, and so it's hard to get people to just rally behind one distro.

It's always "oh I like X and Y but neither has perfectly what I like so I'll combine them into Z distro."

Geekiness is about being so into a topic you get super fussy about it, and also love tinkering with it. And it's kind of a bit self-centered in the sense of caring about your own pet favourite features and interface over compromising for what the majority wants.

In contrast, the motivations of proprietary software are always largely external, since success is measured by how many other people use it and how much they like it, measured in dollars paid.

And you also see less fragmentation because if proprietary competition is strong enough, few new players will bother entering the market.

After many years watching this, I don't know how much it can be changed, but it does mean free software needs good leadership that cares about new user adoption.