[ox-en] Re: Paid linux programmers: how do they work
- From: Richard Stallman <rms gnu.org>
- Date: Tue, 15 May 2007 15:39:51 -0400
I guess some of you have seen this:
http://www.bangkokpost.com/090507_Database/09May2007_data05.php
where Microsoft's platform director argues Linux 'as free
software', already no longer exists
I have not seen it; I sent mail just now to fetch a copy.
Based on your description, it sounds like Microsoft is
trying to introduce confusion in the background.
It is probably using "free software" in the sense of gratis,
which is simply irrelevant. (I hope everyone here knows
that free software is free as in free speech, not as in free beer.)
I would guess that they really mean the GNU/Linux operating
system and not just Linux, Torvalds' kernel. (See
http://www.gnu.org/gnu/gnu-linux-faq.html.)
- open source remains mostly nonproprietary software, but is
increasinly produced by paid employes, true or not true?
Ever since the term "open source" was first given a definition, in
1998, its has included some non-free software. That is why it is hard
for me to say anything about all the software covered by the term
"open source". Most of it is free software, which I think is good,
but some of it is non-free (proprietary) software, which I think is
bad.
What I do know is that the term "open source" is the slogan of a
philosophy I disagree with, so I don't want to decribe my work with
that term. So I should not try to answer questions that ask about
"open source".
- if the community is still a core element of open source, what
is their relation to the paid employees
Likewise.
- how are these paid employees working: as free as community
programmers, or are they under a command and control hierarchy;
wny does the crowding out factor not apply (i.e. paid employees
discouraging further work by volunteers, as it often happens,
why not here?)
Every way you can imagine probably exists.
- who decides on the main strategic directions of free software development?
Each project is set up in its own way, so they vary all across the
spectrum of possibilities. So if you want a statement which is true
without exceptions, you are probably out of luck.
However, there have been studies of which practices are _common_.
Rishab Ghosh did such a study, and may know of more recent studies.
- if the paid employees are free in their work, does their salary
then not function as a kind of basic income, not related to
their exact 'work'??
If such cases, yes, that would be true. There may be some such cases
in schools. However, my somewhat educated guess is that most paid
free software developers have some sort of specific work goals set by
their employers.
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