Solidarity, and community is almost certainly part of it. When doing an independent side project, the fact that nobody knows the difference makes it easier to

Solidarity, and community is almost certainly part of it. When doing an independent side project, the fact that nobody knows the difference makes it easier to let it slide. Just having someone know about your commitment, even if it's a computer, can make a difference. It's someone similar to the difference in success on quitting smoking between people who sign up for a committed quitter group commit program vs those that just do it on their own.