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In "Bullshit Jobs: A Theory" the author has a really interesting theory of how open source and employment in software interact. His model was, that programmers
by oceanghost 8y ago
In "Bullshit Jobs: A Theory" the author has a really interesting theory of how open source and employment in software interact.
His model was, that programmers are expected to donate their time to OSS creating core components, in order to get jobs integrating those core components into commercial systems.
When you think about the issue like that, it makes a lot of sense, but its a terrible deal for the programmer.
- jplayer01 8y agoA part of me thinks open source is this epic joke and conspiracy played on programmers. Some cabal of business owners somehow managed to convince us that it's admirable and ideal if we build all this software infrastructure for free so they could profit off of it. And that's pretty much what is happening and things like OpenSSL show how terrible it is.
- oceanghost 8y agoYou're not really wrong, there is an epic conspiracy. Ours is the only profession I can think of that's expected to work slave hours for no additional compensation. At least when a lawyer works 80 hour weeks, he might make partner someday. Nobody else does their job on weekends for free.
- jplayer01 8y agoExactly. We'd all be better off if more people worked for free working as medics, nurses and doctors, saving lives, but nobody seriously expects them to do any of that work with zero compensation. But somehow it's okay for programmers to build the tech the entire world depends on and get nothing in return, and programmers defend it! In a Star Trek utopia, that idealism would be great, but we live in a world where people are exploited wherever possible to ensure endless profit.