>"Developers of open-source software don't recieve any resources just because they are releasing software freely to the public." Not monetarily perhaps; that i

>"Developers of open-source software don't recieve any resources just because they are releasing software freely to the public." Not monetarily perhaps; that is true (Side note; here's there's one hell of a business opportunity if there isn't already some company trying to figure out how to monetize open source software , but that's a side discussion, a digression...) So you are correct -- but your correctness applies to a limited scope. To understand this, let's revisit your statement: >"Developers of open-source software don't recieve any resources just because they are releasing software freely to the public." Now, we agreed that monetarily this is true... But do me a favor, will you? Go up to any Open Source developer; any software developer who has contributed to an Open Source project -- and ask them one simple question: That question is: "Have you ever used Open Source Software that you didn't write, that you didn't create?" You see, I'll bet that 99.44% of them answer in the affirmative; that is, in a firm and resounding "Yes". So now, you're telling me that the free use of other people's open source software -- ISN'T a resource? (I don't know, but I think they have a saying in French "Permettez-moi de ne pas croire" ("permit me to disbelieve" <g>)) Have you ever heard of something called Linux? ? That's not "receiving a resource" ? ? In fact, even if you are not an Open Source Developer -- you are receiving the benefit of Hacker News -- which is running on Linux -- as are a huge amount of other people, myself included! Or, what about all of the other websites that people use that run on Linux? Surely that's "receiving a resource" ? Half of the damn Internet as we know it today -- is provided by Linux and other Open Source Software that forms the stack, that serves half of all websites in existence today... That's not a "receiving a resource" ? What about all of the free information that the Internet provides? That's not "receiving a resource" ? An intellectual one? As opposed to a monetary one? Socialism/Marxism/Communism (and I am not defending any of them, nor their implementations, nor all of the problems that they have caused in historical contexts) all derive from the simplest of all simple ideas, which might be expressed (to a Christian) as "Charity", but that were expressed by Marx as "From each according to ability, to each according to need". Yes, historically, implemented to the scale of governments, this has caused many wars, much bloodshed, countless millions of lives lost, etc., etc. But the central idea (although poorly implemented historically by governments) was that of sharing, helping others, etc., etc. If you truly cannot see this central idea present, then I cannot help you. But you post your very message on an Internet whose totality was half-created by this idea...