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I've come to view OSS as the software industry's inferior analog to waiting tables in the movie business. It's inferior because at least waiters are paid for th
by sidlls 6y ago
I've come to view OSS as the software industry's inferior analog to waiting tables in the movie business. It's inferior because at least waiters are paid for their labor.
The OSS authors who are successful are also paid, of course: but at that point they've "made it" and no longer have the same concerns (e.g. paying bills) that the 99.999% of other OSS developers have.
- 0SSawayyyy 6y agoThat's an interesting take; I view OSS as an act of generosity. It's a gift given by the author, without any expectation of reward. Waiting tables in the movie business feels more like a hustle; people do it so they can live in LA or Vancouver while they seek fame and fortune. I have seen a trend of fame/fortune-seeking in OSS recently, but it seems more like a toxic offshoot than the norm. The best OSS projects are still made by people who are genuinely trying to share solutions to common problems. Maybe they "make it" financially, but that is orthogonal to OSS contribution.