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I dislike this line of reasoning. It imposes a fairly unrealistic value system where none need exist. I quoted Linus elsewhere in this thread, but it's worth re
by doktrin 14y ago
I dislike this line of reasoning. It imposes a fairly unrealistic value system where none need exist. I quoted Linus elsewhere in this thread, but it's worth repeating at least once.
I do not see open source as some big goody-goody "let's
all sing kumbaya around the campfire and make the world
a better place". No, open source only really works if
everybody is contributing for their own selfish reasons. [1]
[1] http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-18419231 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-18419231
- capisce 14y agoYou dislike wanting to provide free value for others being part of the reason for writing / releasing open source software?
- doktrin 14y agoI dislike ranking the motivations of others on some arbitrary scale. In this case, my comment was in direct response to your assertion about "altruism" being the "best" reason for OSS contribution.
- freshhawk 14y agoThat's an outdated view of behaviour. Helping other people is itself a powerful motivator for most people, and gains valuable social capital and status as well. It has worked because everybody is contributing for their own reasons, both selfish and not. Personally I like this whole "civilization" concept, so far ranking altruistic motivations higher than selfish ones has turned out wonderfully. Things get ranked on arbitrary scales regardless, that's what people do.