I was just thinking about the whole idea of open source and software being free.
Peer production is a great idea. With the whole world pouring in their talents and ideas into a product. However, why would anyone do that? Why would I program something on a Sat afternoon instead of having a beer by the pool/beach?
Everyone does it for a certain reason, I believe. Some might do it to build up their resume, some might be because the company that the person works for support open source and pays people to do it. Some might be due to passion for programming.
However, assuming that everyone on earth needs to make money for a living and would try to maximise their income, then why would open source work? There are a number of websites like odesk and elance which offers paid programming work. I do understand that companies like IBM is pouring money into open source software like linux but what about other software? There are a huge number of projects out there which is smaller and still very successful.
If you have any idea why people contribute to open source, please leave me a comment. Thanks heaps.
Why people program for free?
Monday, February 11, 2008
Posted by Sean at 12:52 AM
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2 comments:
I am sure this is the very question why Microsoft / closed proprietry software vendors are asking themselves everyday.
The model of revenue generation has changed with Open Source softwares. The idea of paying for bulk licenses is old, and is expensive (support costs). Instead of spending money hiring programmers to do fix bugs and contract specialists to negotiate deals and licenses, companies can simply subscribe to services and pay for only technical support.
For me, I do it because aside from my passion in strategy, I actually love open source application development as it gives me a sense of developing substance. It's a sense of achievement (an also, good for CVs / potential startup portfolios to improve credibility :D )
I totally understand where you are coming from. I struggle with the fact that there are soooooo many people working on open source projects. Surely there is a relatively good amount of people who would prefer to earn some money on the side as well. I think there is something I am not getting somewhere.
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