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Yeah, but altruism, passion, recognition etc. don't put food on the table. Sure, there are many "starving artists" out there who are also motivated by these thi
by rob74 4y ago
Yeah, but altruism, passion, recognition etc. don't put food on the table. Sure, there are many "starving artists" out there who are also motivated by these things, but for software developers, a more lucrative alternative is always readily available, so noone can blame them if they take it.
Since I noticed that this is being downvoted: I didn't mean "starving artist" in a disparaging way, I admire people who are so committed to their passion that they give up a safer (but more boring) career to pursue it - one of them is the creator of my favorite online comic, so I might as well plug her here: https://graphtreon.com/creator/unsounded https://graphtreon.com/creator/unsounded
- dale_glass 4y agoAre you suggesting the "starving artists" don't have a more lucrative alternative? Most anyone with decent technical skill can make money by selling commissions on DeviantArt or similar. It takes effort to make a living that way, but it's an extremely available option. Far more than for software developers, who work on long term projects. Most any artist can make some quick bucks in a day or so. It's far harder for me as a software developer to prove my level of skill and find somebody willing to pay me for work.
- krageon 4y ago> noone can blame them if they take it Everyone can blame them, and they probably should. Profit as a primary motivator is destructive both to you and to everyone else - if you know someone that operates this way you owe it to them and to yourself to mock them at least a little.
- rob74 4y agoI didn't mean getting rich, I meant the choice between financial security in a "conventional" job and (full-time) open source work. Of course, you can also combine both to some degree...