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I dislike this framing. I was paid money for over a decade to write GPL'd code; I didn't do it as a gift. I release my code under the GPL for selfish reasons: I
by coldpie 2y ago
I dislike this framing. I was paid money for over a decade to write GPL'd code; I didn't do it as a gift. I release my code under the GPL for selfish reasons: I want others to be able to improve it, and me to be able to take advantage of their improvements. To me, it's not a gift, it's just the most efficient way to write software.
- int_19h 2y agoOP is not asserting that all GPL'd code is part of the "gift economy". I also wrote some GPLv2 code a large corp in the past, and I wouldn't consider it that, either. But projects like UBlock Origin that are run by volunteer contributors are very different. You seem to be basing your rejection of "gift economy" as a label for the latter on the basis that it's not done for entirely altruistic purpose. But that is generally true of gift economies - most people who participate in them (and I'm not just talking of software here!) are not doing it out of purely altruistic motives, and actually expect to receive benefit from such an economy as well. Usually this is cultural, but some people, like you, might consciously believe that it's the most efficient way to distribute goods (whatever their definition of "efficient" might be).
- johnnyanmac 2y agoyou can work at a charity and still be paid, even though the "non-profit" moniker can confuse layman. > I release my code under the GPL for selfish reasons: I want others to be able to improve it, and me to be able to take advantage of their improvements. I suppose that metphor depends on what you think of community efforts. Like say, sharing a food recipe or a workout routine. I see see the framing as "giving it away". Even if your endgoal is an ultimately selfish search of "better recipe/routine to use".