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Nothing stops the others who are contributing to that consultant’s underlying free software from taking pride in their work. Nothing stops you from spending yo

by zeveb 8y ago

Nothing stops the others who are contributing to that consultant’s underlying free software from taking pride in their work. Nothing stops you from spending your bench time improving (or replacing!) that free software with others. Free Software is good for the users of software, which is ultimately good for developers, because ultimately we're all users of software first and developers second.

geocar 8y ago
Mine; yours, and everyones salary is based on the value our contribution brings to our customers needs. If we spend it making software, and we're competing with people working for free, we are simply not going to make as much money as we could be doing something else, so here's what happens: People who love writing software, who are basically willing to work for free, will continue to write software. Some of them are good, but most of them are not. People who are good at writing software, are also probably good at other things, and they will not program. We have a similar problem with teachers: Surely you have heard teachers get paid poorly! We could pay them more and attract smart good teachers, or the smart good people who could also teach will do something else. Free Software is still good, and I don't think it's useful to confuse the issue by pretending I'm saying otherwise.
- mistrial9 8y ago
  > Mine; yours, and everyones salary is based on the value our contribution brings to our customers needs. this is tragically naive ; the role of business management is to control and reduce price of inputs, every time. If something absolutely vital, essential, mission-critical can be obtained for less and less dollars out, it will be done. This is a prime "function of markets and competition" .. if you are talking about salt or eggs in a subsistance population, things can go well.. in a world-connected, skills-based post-industrial world, it results in exactly what you see .. millions of 20-somethings with more years of college and better health than their parents, struggling to break-even to just survive, etc. etc.
  - geocar 8y ago
    I don't think you understand what I'm saying, and perhaps that's my fault for not putting it clearly enough: If I can deliver a solution and I cost £500k, but some 20-something only costs £50k, then of course the customer is going to go with the cheaper option. But if I want to make £500k, what ends up happening is that I (and others) don't program. That's not a good thing if you value invention: Nobody can invent for £50k, and so long as that's the market rate, £500k problems simply won't get done. That is probably okay for businesses though who want solutions and not inventions.

by zeveb 8y ago

geocar 8y ago

Mine; yours, and everyones salary is based on the value our contribution brings to our customers needs. If we spend it making software, and we're competing with people working for free, we are simply not going to make as much money as we could be doing something else, so here's what happens: People who love writing software, who are basically willing to work for free, will continue to write software. Some of them are good, but most of them are not. People who are good at writing software, are also probably good at other things, and they will not program. We have a similar problem with teachers: Surely you have heard teachers get paid poorly! We could pay them more and attract smart good teachers, or the smart good people who could also teach will do something else. Free Software is still good, and I don't think it's useful to confuse the issue by pretending I'm saying otherwise.

mistrial9 8y ago
> Mine; yours, and everyones salary is based on the value our contribution brings to our customers needs. this is tragically naive ; the role of business management is to control and reduce price of inputs, every time. If something absolutely vital, essential, mission-critical can be obtained for less and less dollars out, it will be done. This is a prime "function of markets and competition" .. if you are talking about salt or eggs in a subsistance population, things can go well.. in a world-connected, skills-based post-industrial world, it results in exactly what you see .. millions of 20-somethings with more years of college and better health than their parents, struggling to break-even to just survive, etc. etc.
- geocar 8y ago
  I don't think you understand what I'm saying, and perhaps that's my fault for not putting it clearly enough: If I can deliver a solution and I cost £500k, but some 20-something only costs £50k, then of course the customer is going to go with the cheaper option. But if I want to make £500k, what ends up happening is that I (and others) don't program. That's not a good thing if you value invention: Nobody can invent for £50k, and so long as that's the market rate, £500k problems simply won't get done. That is probably okay for businesses though who want solutions and not inventions.