But the discussion isn't whether you can create quality writing while giving it away for free (obviously that's going on, long before the Internet - eg the Bibl

But the discussion isn't whether you can create quality writing while giving it away for free (obviously that's going on, long before the Internet - eg the Bible..) but whether "free" is a sustainable business model. Anderson's own example is a guy who actually makes a living working as a civil engineer, ie selling his time for money. What he does in his spare time, for free, is known outside the Wired hype bubble as "a hobby".