Re: Crowdfunding critical infrastructure

[Jon Lewis <jlewis () lewis org>]

On Thu, 27 Jun 2019, Eric S. Raymond wrote:

> > I think many of us assume that doing the sort of work you're referring to
> > will definitely result in the regular receipt of many prestigious,
> > high-paying job offers.
>
> When that happens, it's actually a problem.
>
> Let's suppose that someone were to judge I've been doing high-quality
> work on security-hardened NTP.  I get a job offer as a result.  Is it
> going to be to work on NTP?  Nope, you can't monetize NTP, so my employer
> will want me to work on something else that generates a profit.
>
> Boom.  We lose.

This may have been an anomaly made possible by early .com $, but I'm 
pretty sure at one point, companies like VA Research / VA Linux employed 
developers who in various cases worked part or full time on the Linux 
kernel and other Open Source projects "as their job".

That you've developed/maintained software that's in every Android device, 
but haven't been paid by anyone for that may be the biggest flaw with Open 
Source / Free Software.  Presumably, if you chose to stop doing that work 
and nobody volunteered to step into your place, Google (and others) would 
be forced to fork the code and pay developers to maintain their own 
versions.

Free software was meant to give users control of / access to the 
code...not create a parasitic ecosystem where some people code because 
they enjoy doing it and others profit from their work by packaging and 
selling it or things based on it.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
 Jon Lewis, MCP :)           |  I route
                             |  therefore you are
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