3 ms·

Lots of companies are happy to benefit from all the eager volunteers' free labor though.

• est31 5y ago
  Some of the volunteers are paid for their contributions, so it's not free labour. For other volunteers it's a hobby. Sometimes they scratch a personal itch. Personally the line for me is when it comes to copyright assignment. I'm only okay with it if I'm also paid.
• deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
• dominotw 5y ago
  > free labor though is it really labor if someone is doing it as a hobby. Its not free if they are getting enjoyment out of it.
  • sam0x17 5y ago
    If you could have paid someone to do it, it is labor.
    • wtetzner 5y ago
      Under that definition, I can’t really think of any activity that isn’t labor.
  • sidlls 5y ago
    If one is engaged in an activity that is typically compensated (e.g. software development for others' use), then it's not a hobby. It's unpaid labor.
    • dominotw 5y ago
      > then it's not a hobby. Its not upto you to decide what constitutes a hobby though. Person doing it can decide for himself if they see it as a hobby.
      • sidlls 5y ago
        It doesn't work like that: the individual is engaged in an activity in a society, not on an island alone. If an activity would typically be considered a work for compensation by society's norms, it's not reasonable to call it a hobby. A person can write software as a hobby (personal use, or maybe use personally/within a small circle of friends) and, at the same time, write software for use by others in commercial endeavors (work). The fact that they may not do the latter in exchange for money doesn't make it a hobby.
        • deleted 5y ago
          [deleted]
        • dominotw 5y ago
          > If an activity would typically be considered a work for compensation by society's norms, it's not reasonable to call it a hobby. woodworking in my garage can't be called my hobby because most woodworkers get paid for it?