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> but hobbyists are the core of open source. Is this actually true? Is it true when looking only at core projects like the Linux kernel?

Our_Benefactors 3y ago
Hobbyists grow up to be contributors. If they can’t become hobbyists because the cost is high, they’ll never become contributors either.
jandrese 3y ago
It’s less true for the kernel than it is for most open source projects. The kernel has a fair bit of corporate backing now, but out in user land there are way more projects being maintained by volunteers because they find value in it.
- Sakos 3y ago
  Now, yes, but it wouldn't have so much corporate backing now without all the hobbyist contributors before. And even now there are so many OSS projects, so many core libraries that entire industries and businesses are reliant on which are kept alive by a handful of people or even just a single person with no corporate backing at all. Corporate backing is the exception, not the rule.
ryukafalz 3y ago
To use an example that's relevant here given the smart home context: Home Assistant has a huge community of hobbyists around it, and I think it's fair to say it couldn't have gotten nearly as far as it has without community contributions.
yjftsjthsd-h 3y ago
Linux is a combination, but it's worth noting that it wouldn't exist without hobbyist work. That said, it would be interesting to do a breakdown of how much work comes from corporate vs individual contributors for, say, all the packages in a default install of some popular distros. (Also it sounds like a nightmare to try and do that analysis (ex. how do you even determine corp/non-corp contributors?), but it would be interesting if you could do it)
numpad0 3y ago
Hobbyists/government subsidized University students in CS/CE certainly forced a lot of Pareto optimal paths that won't be chosen in committee developments in open-source movement and projects. I'd not think that e.g. "hobbyist simply knows better", necessarily.

Our_Benefactors 3y ago

Hobbyists grow up to be contributors. If they can’t become hobbyists because the cost is high, they’ll never become contributors either.

jandrese 3y ago

It’s less true for the kernel than it is for most open source projects. The kernel has a fair bit of corporate backing now, but out in user land there are way more projects being maintained by volunteers because they find value in it.

Sakos 3y ago
Now, yes, but it wouldn't have so much corporate backing now without all the hobbyist contributors before. And even now there are so many OSS projects, so many core libraries that entire industries and businesses are reliant on which are kept alive by a handful of people or even just a single person with no corporate backing at all. Corporate backing is the exception, not the rule.

ryukafalz 3y ago

To use an example that's relevant here given the smart home context: Home Assistant has a huge community of hobbyists around it, and I think it's fair to say it couldn't have gotten nearly as far as it has without community contributions.

yjftsjthsd-h 3y ago

Linux is a combination, but it's worth noting that it wouldn't exist without hobbyist work. That said, it would be interesting to do a breakdown of how much work comes from corporate vs individual contributors for, say, all the packages in a default install of some popular distros. (Also it sounds like a nightmare to try and do that analysis (ex. how do you even determine corp/non-corp contributors?), but it would be interesting if you could do it)

numpad0 3y ago

Hobbyists/government subsidized University students in CS/CE certainly forced a lot of Pareto optimal paths that won't be chosen in committee developments in open-source movement and projects. I'd not think that e.g. "hobbyist simply knows better", necessarily.