[OSGeo-Discuss] scale of FOSS projects

[Arnulf Christl]

wrapping up...

On Fri, May 9, 2008 00:32, Miles Fidelman wrote:
> P Kishor wrote:
>
>> On 5/8/08, Schuyler Erle <schuyler at nocat.net> wrote:
>>
>>> One important point that Fogel makes that I think is worth noting
>>> here is that the number-one sine-qua-non of *any* potentially
>>> successful software project is *shipping working code*.
>>>
>>> Until a developer does that, the discussion of whether or not his/her
>>>  project needs or deserves institutional/organizational support to
>>> succeed further is moot.
>>>
>>
>> Steve Coast (OSM) echoed the same sentiment very elegantly -- "Real
>> artists ship. For everyone else, there is wanking."
>>
>> After a short hesitation, I have really come to appreciate it. Yup,
>> unless there is working code, everything else -- sponsorships,
>> organization, standards, committees, mailing lists -- is pointless.

And now SteveC burns a few million on a cloudmade commercial entity -
because he comes from this same earth as we all and seems to need to pay
the rent as well. It is good that he is so vocal because it will allow us
to learn how to build a business around one's Free Baby without running
afoul.

[...]
> pretty hard for one person to accomplish all that much, in a short amount
> of time, in odd hours outside their day job.
[...]

I am sick and tired of the myth that any and all Free and Open Source
Software needs to be done by volunteers in the wee hours of the night for
no pay. This is simply a big pile of bullshit, get over it. If you really
want to hack on Free and Open Source Software big time then get yourself a
job that pays you to do exactly that.

Ahrg!

The other one that makes me rage is the myth that because somebody makes
money off something she must turn foul. Anybody can do ethically sound
business with well paid happy employees and satisfied customers any time.
If you fail you did not try hard enough. Stop whining and get better.

As a side note: I stopped coding years ago because someone had to attend
to the business side of things. Being the poorest hacker sentence was
passed on me. Hard luck. Now we can pay 25 people doing nothing but
FOSSGIS.

--
Mr. Anti Christl
Unloved Business Jerk