Open Source software is purely selfish – Computable

<- Googleoff: Index -> <- googleon: Index ->

Free software developers who give away software and software maintenance for me? An economy of sharing, altruism? I do not believe it at all. Everything costs money, even software. Developers must still be able to live well? Everywhere to be paid for, only the sun goes for nothing

.

For years, the software industry equal to the fast earn big money. Why would someone give away software and ask for nothing in return? Why would I want to use such software? Why do big companies like HP, IBM, Itel and Red Hat with it? Definitely not to be worse from there. These companies want to earn money. There must be a catch

Catch

.

True, there is a catch. The motivation to work on open source software is pure self-interest. Companies do this to make money. Developers have the software itself need or want to gain notoriety. Ah … you think, so that’s the catch. Yes, that’s right, that’s the catch. The motivation for developers and businesses to get better from there. Everybody has equal Concerns about open source software. But there is a catch, self-interest as a motivation is actually pretty good.

Of course, things are not as bad as it sounds. Companies and developers working on open source software to be better off, but they are not selfish, others may also benefit. And yes, this is done with the thought that they later themselves better off. But is that really bad? Why would not you make better be if others also have some to, that’s fine?

Ask yourself, if you want people to do something and continue to do so, what is the best guarantee that you can get? They are paid for it, or that it (also) in their self-interest? It is basically the difference between internally motivated or externally motivated. Internal motivation is much better. After all, no payment, no software. It also explains why open source software developers are so keen on making good quality and secure software. They have personally attached to the software. This personal relationship is much more difficult as you get paid for it

Scratch your own itch

.

After all, it worked in the beginning of the computer age even so. If a computer to do something, you wrote that the software itself, you could not (yet) do not buy. But if someone else had software that you needed, it was faster in order to use it than to write it yourself. Sharing software thus stood very straight. Still, the motivation to share their own interest, you were there also indirectly better.

In this sense, the motivation to contribute to open source software is indeed self-interest. Not selfish so we do not share, but the effort that we provide, we initially provide for ourselves. This is exactly why open source software is a good choice for companies and organizations. The principle behind it, the motivation to write and maintain software stems from self-interest. Precisely this fact makes that the process is stable. This stability is in the best interest for companies. Low cost (yes, the use of software is never free of charge) and a stable process to develop and maintain software is correct in their interests – and ultimately in everyone’s interest

Do you need to work on open source software, do it mostly to yourself, but share the results with others. This also goes for businesses. Contributions to software projects, and the financing of development, do it mainly from self-interest and then share it with the world. This is the best way to use and develop open source software to make durable and useful to allow for everyone

.