4 ms·

OK, so that would prove that open source can get drudge work done, right? Or do you think 80% of open source work is sponsored by companies? For all I know, t

OK, so that would prove that open source can get drudge work done, right? Or do you think 80% of open source work is sponsored by companies? For all I know, that might be the case, but are sponsored efforts any less open source?

menloparkbum 19y ago
The sponsored efforts are indeed open source. However, the only reason the drudge work got done was because someone was paid to do it. People don't like doing crappy stuff if they aren't getting paid.
- euccastro 19y ago
  I can think of other reasons why people would do boring stuff. This is by no means an orthogonal breakdown! - Militance: They believe in a cause and do some sacrifices to further it. Like translating software and docs into an obscure language. This can be done by zealots of the software, of the language, or both. - Self-image (somewhat related to the above): After having completed the sexy parts, you care about the appearance of your project as a whole, so you fill in the boring parts. - Pleasing users (somewhat related to the above): You get hooked in a virtuous feedback cycle with your users. Some things that would be boring in themselves get done in anticipation of the positive feedback. - Competitiveness: a mix of the two above. You want to be the best at what you do, and the boring stuff offers opportunities to differentiate. - Scratch a personal itch: I think many Linux device drivers get done because of this. Also most of the external bug reporting (and most of the business sponsorship.) - The long tail of vocation: what is boring to most is probably someone's joy. - Retribution: You love an open source product as an user, so you give back. - Social acceptance: You want to become part of the community of contributors. You aren't qualified to do the hard stuff yet. In MMOG's, lots of people volunteer for Game Masters, which is an euphemism for unpaid customer service. They do very boring, repetitive work for the benefit of a for-profit company that gives them absolutely nothing in return (indeed, it's legally dangerous to give them anything in return). So don't underestimate people's ability to do drudge work for free.
  - rms 19y ago
    With regards to people working as Game Masters in MMOG's, I think it's mostly done for the feeling of godlike power.
    - euccastro 19y ago
      In the game I worked in, most had no power whatsoever in the game. The only power some of them had was moderator role in the help chat channels, and the ability to teleport their GM characters (not their playing ones) to check out problems. They were watched closely for abuse, so you can hardly call that power at all. You can say they were motivated by a feeling of notoriety. In my area we have problems with people that would sneak and set woods on fire only so they can feel important helping to extinguish the fire. They get no tangible benefit from it, not even power, and they risk shame and jail if they get caught. Feeling relevant is a strong motivation for some people.

menloparkbum 19y ago

The sponsored efforts are indeed open source. However, the only reason the drudge work got done was because someone was paid to do it. People don't like doing crappy stuff if they aren't getting paid.

euccastro 19y ago
I can think of other reasons why people would do boring stuff. This is by no means an orthogonal breakdown! - Militance: They believe in a cause and do some sacrifices to further it. Like translating software and docs into an obscure language. This can be done by zealots of the software, of the language, or both. - Self-image (somewhat related to the above): After having completed the sexy parts, you care about the appearance of your project as a whole, so you fill in the boring parts. - Pleasing users (somewhat related to the above): You get hooked in a virtuous feedback cycle with your users. Some things that would be boring in themselves get done in anticipation of the positive feedback. - Competitiveness: a mix of the two above. You want to be the best at what you do, and the boring stuff offers opportunities to differentiate. - Scratch a personal itch: I think many Linux device drivers get done because of this. Also most of the external bug reporting (and most of the business sponsorship.) - The long tail of vocation: what is boring to most is probably someone's joy. - Retribution: You love an open source product as an user, so you give back. - Social acceptance: You want to become part of the community of contributors. You aren't qualified to do the hard stuff yet. In MMOG's, lots of people volunteer for Game Masters, which is an euphemism for unpaid customer service. They do very boring, repetitive work for the benefit of a for-profit company that gives them absolutely nothing in return (indeed, it's legally dangerous to give them anything in return). So don't underestimate people's ability to do drudge work for free.
- rms 19y ago
  With regards to people working as Game Masters in MMOG's, I think it's mostly done for the feeling of godlike power.
  - euccastro 19y ago
    In the game I worked in, most had no power whatsoever in the game. The only power some of them had was moderator role in the help chat channels, and the ability to teleport their GM characters (not their playing ones) to check out problems. They were watched closely for abuse, so you can hardly call that power at all. You can say they were motivated by a feeling of notoriety. In my area we have problems with people that would sneak and set woods on fire only so they can feel important helping to extinguish the fire. They get no tangible benefit from it, not even power, and they risk shame and jail if they get caught. Feeling relevant is a strong motivation for some people.