"The Internet" is more than just software - open source or otherwise. Open source developers were not sitting on trans-oceanic cable-laying ships. Open-source d

"The Internet" is more than just software - open source or otherwise. Open source developers were not sitting on trans-oceanic cable-laying ships. Open-source developers are not building the (very proprietary) electronics that form the basis for all the communications infrastructure. The applications that people use from Google search to your banking website were not built with free labour. In my narrow exposure in the nineties, it seemed that the Internet was built on the back of low-paid students providing support for dial-up customers and medium-sized businesses paying eye-watering sums of money for a leased line so that mediocre email services would work. We weren't as cool as the open source rockstars sticking it to commercial Unix, we were just stacking modems in cabinets. Open source software and open standards (all the RFCs) have made, and will continue to make, a significant contribution - but saying that 'The Internet Was Built on (the) Free Labour' is simply incorrect and positions open source advocates, who are trying to draw attention to real problems in the industry, as holier-than-thou shills that people stop listening to. The Internet is a very commercial space, built on the backs of people that are well paid for their services, by companies that are the most valuable in the world. Some crucial infrastructure needs recognition and/or some way to share in the commercial aspects. Try and find a solution to the funding problem for OpenSSL without saying that the Internet exists because some people (thankfully) worked for free.