I think you need to expand the definition of paid. These people aren't slogging away in a mine. They are writing code. Many of them enjoy it so much they like t

I think you need to expand the definition of paid. These people aren't slogging away in a mine. They are writing code. Many of them enjoy it so much they like to do it for reasons other then money. Also, don't forget that if you contribute to an open source project you are recognized for doing so. You are apart of a community. That is worth something. Thinking of open source solely as work done for "free" isn't the right way to think about open source.