> You don't come across as serious. As a kernel, python, and postgresql contributor I never made money on it. You also don't seem to understand the things you're saying now. Your rebuttal, frankly, doesn't make sense. Perhaps my fault here is is assuming you actually understand the things you're offering in rebuttal. > It's the same with open source. If you know anything of it, then you know there are millions of projects from which they do not directly benefit financially. That's the point. You don't directly earn money, but it helps you greatly indirectly. As a developer it is a big career booster to program these things on your spare time. Not only are you practicing your skillset and taking it to the next level, you also add the projects to your resume which can help you land a more senior or higher paying job to further your career. > As an example, your logic is people who grow vegetables for themselves never grew them for themselves because the might also sell the excess? Even though they commonly give away surplus. It's the same with open source. If you know anything of it, then you know there are millions of projects from which they do not directly benefit financially. That's the point. No I never said that, people grow their food for two reasons: To eat it, to sell it. In both situations they get something of value. The star trek fantasy that people will just volunteer to do shitty jobs for no benefit to themselves is unrealistic and will never happen. It would make sense if you said people may volunteer to create art and music, and that happens even today. But they do that because it is a fun hobby for them, or a pastime. There is nothing fun about labor, driving back and forth for 40 years on the same trade line moving things from point A to point B is not a hobby, nobody will do that for fun. That is just work. > Humans have an itch and they scratch it. Europeans tend to share these. If it also benefits in income, then so be it. That is capitalism at all. There is a difference between a hobby and work. One is fun, the other sucks. People work for money to survive, not because they enjoy it.