Re: Funding GPL projects or funding the GPL?

[David Schwartz <davids@webmaster.com>]

>I don't however see the relationship between the two, other than both
>being demonstrations that you must do the actual science and statistics
>before you rely on intuition.

	They're both example of how the properties of individuals differ from the 
properties of groups of those same individuals, and I believe the same error 
is being made in both cases.

	In the programming case, a programmer working on a project will not be 
likely to produce better code simply because his salary goes up. Generally, 
people will produce the best code they are capable of producing. Similarly, 
longer lengths of incarceration won't decrease the probability that a 
particular person will re-offend. In both cases, there just isn't a cause and 
effect relationship with the individual.

	However, this does not mean that a group will behave the same way. For 
example, if we lock everybody who commits a violent crime up for twice as 
long, crime in the group as a whole will go down simply because repeat 
offenders will spend less time out of prison.

	Similarly for programmers. With more money, you can employ more and/or 
better programmers. You can still employ cheaper programmers, it doesn't stop 
you.

	How many people currently working on the Linux kernel would devote more time 
to it if they received regular anonymous donations? How many new talented 
programmers who can't find employment (or don't want/need to) would take more 
interest in working on Linux?

	I'm not saying this guarantees better code. For example, it's possible that 
the greater volume of code produced might overload choke points in the 
development that can't be expanded due to key individuals already working at 
their limits. However, money brings new options.

	As you (I think?) pointed out, most free software is crap and most 
commercial software is crap. The hard part is to find the good software and 
the good people and then give them an incentive to produce the code that you 
really want. Money is a tool for doing that.

	DS