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I didn't want anything. I was stating why I mostly stopped contributing: Other people were making money off of my work without me being compensated. OSS is a ve

I didn't want anything. I was stating why I mostly stopped contributing: Other people were making money off of my work without me being compensated. OSS is a vehicle for companies to exploit unpaid labor. The hacker community just hates to hear that.

pc86 12y ago
> OSS is a vehicle for companies to exploit unpaid labor. OSS is freely given, sometimes by people who are paid to do exactly that. The term "unpaid labor" has a specific connotation akin to slavery or indentured servitude. The two are not comparable. Complaining that someone somewhere makes money (at best, indirectly) from an OSS contribution is the same as complaining that Good Will resold my donation at a profit.
- dreamdu5t 12y ago
  Yes, I should have been more clear: The idea that contributing to OSS is A Good Thing is dogma. It is a vehicle for companies to profit from work they don't have to pay for. It has nothing to do with whatever political axe you have to grind.
- forgottenpass 12y ago
  The term "unpaid labor" has a specific connotation akin to slavery or indentured servitude. The two are not comparable. Is this a legal term of art or common knowledge definition? It was unknown to me so I've tried some googling and am turning up primarily volunteer work and unpaid internships under that title. I know wikipedia isn't the greatest source, but over there "unpaid work" is a class of things including both slavery and working at a family business or coop.
ndj7 12y ago
OSS also empowers individuals to create great things - despite limited financial resources.
treve 12y ago
I think 'The Hacker Community' knows that others benefiting from code you freely provide is one of the extremely obvious side effects of open sourcing. It sounds a bit like you're buying a round of beers for everyone in the bar, and then you're upset people didn't compensate you for it.
- yaauie 12y ago
  Or more likely that you're buying a round of beers for everyone in the bar, and are just frankly exhausted by the continuing flood of entitled recipients complaining about the quality and/or usefulness of the beer.
  - treve 12y ago
    That's an entirely different problem in itself.
vidarh 12y ago
I contribute to OSS because I have no reasons not to, and often benefit: I occasionally write stuff for my own use that might be of use to others. There's no downside to me if I release it, and the occasional upside. Sometimes I need to apply a fix to some OSS project. Contributing helps me avoid having to maintain a fork. Sometimes I write something at work that may be useful for others and convince my employers to let me open source it, and as a result I am also able to reuse the same software at home or in future jobs. None of these have deprived me of income. Some of the work I was paid for. Some of it has indirectly led to income. I find your expression of resentment curious. Their use of your software did not deprive you of anything other than in your own mind.

pc86 12y ago

> OSS is a vehicle for companies to exploit unpaid labor. OSS is freely given, sometimes by people who are paid to do exactly that. The term "unpaid labor" has a specific connotation akin to slavery or indentured servitude. The two are not comparable. Complaining that someone somewhere makes money (at best, indirectly) from an OSS contribution is the same as complaining that Good Will resold my donation at a profit.

dreamdu5t 12y ago
Yes, I should have been more clear: The idea that contributing to OSS is A Good Thing is dogma. It is a vehicle for companies to profit from work they don't have to pay for. It has nothing to do with whatever political axe you have to grind.
forgottenpass 12y ago
The term "unpaid labor" has a specific connotation akin to slavery or indentured servitude. The two are not comparable. Is this a legal term of art or common knowledge definition? It was unknown to me so I've tried some googling and am turning up primarily volunteer work and unpaid internships under that title. I know wikipedia isn't the greatest source, but over there "unpaid work" is a class of things including both slavery and working at a family business or coop.

ndj7 12y ago

OSS also empowers individuals to create great things - despite limited financial resources.

treve 12y ago

I think 'The Hacker Community' knows that others benefiting from code you freely provide is one of the extremely obvious side effects of open sourcing. It sounds a bit like you're buying a round of beers for everyone in the bar, and then you're upset people didn't compensate you for it.

yaauie 12y ago
Or more likely that you're buying a round of beers for everyone in the bar, and are just frankly exhausted by the continuing flood of entitled recipients complaining about the quality and/or usefulness of the beer.
- treve 12y ago
  That's an entirely different problem in itself.

vidarh 12y ago

I contribute to OSS because I have no reasons not to, and often benefit: I occasionally write stuff for my own use that might be of use to others. There's no downside to me if I release it, and the occasional upside. Sometimes I need to apply a fix to some OSS project. Contributing helps me avoid having to maintain a fork. Sometimes I write something at work that may be useful for others and convince my employers to let me open source it, and as a result I am also able to reuse the same software at home or in future jobs. None of these have deprived me of income. Some of the work I was paid for. Some of it has indirectly led to income. I find your expression of resentment curious. Their use of your software did not deprive you of anything other than in your own mind.