But I would love the promise of open source and not open core. Especially since the current description is so vague.
"some of the plugins may remained [sic] closed source"
What kinds of plugins? Every supported language is a plugin -- will Python or Ruby end up closed? Or the inline HTML rendering?
If Chris promised a true commitment to keeping this open, I'd promise to pay up. With Kickstarter, I could even prove it.
How about a KS reward that would give me the access to all everything Light Table related that the team builds?
Also note that even GPL allows you to sell the software and sell the code separately. Ditto for other licenses. I'd pay for the code. Not sure how viable that actually is, but it's something to consider.
Lastly, how's the development going to look like? Are the open source parts going to be done in the open (as most successful open source projects do) or will it be Android-like code dump on the release date?