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There is a thorny issue with kickstarting open-source projects like this. Suppose a third-party developer can make a major contribution to the project, to solv
by yapcguy 13y ago
There is a thorny issue with kickstarting open-source projects like this.
Suppose a third-party developer can make a major contribution to the project, to solve a nasty bug or add a technically challenging feature.
How does that developer get paid? How is their contribution valued?
- weaksauce 13y agoIt's not all that thorny really; you don't get any money from your third party patches. The indiegogo funding is for three man years of funded development work split between two men. It's opensource so you are free to help out if you want, just don't expect to be paid.
- Amadou 13y agoI seem to recall a recent study that suggested paying some people explicitly for their open-source work (versus scratching-an-itch) had the effect of discouraging contributions from everyone else. Unfortunately my google-fu is too weak right now to find a reference.
- prostoalex 13y agoMozilla is probably the best example of paid developers plus open source contributors. I've spoken to someone who worked there, and they agreed it was hard to keep the balance - if you start hiring all open-source contributors, then the remaining coders out in the open will get de-motivated, since they weren't offered a job.