On Tue, Jun 29, 2010 at 7:24 AM, Richard Kenner <ken...@vlsi1.ultra.nyu.edu> wrote: >> The free software community works on a web of trust and personal >> relationships. If you prefer to remain pseudonymous, then you must >> accept that you will not be at the center of that web. > > I agree. Openness is an important part of the free software community > and I don't believe that applies only to source code. I think it's important > that the community know the people within it. > > I reject the analogy with social forums, where anonymity has indeed become > an important part of Internet culture. This is a professional, not a > social, community. Nobody would expect to be able to work on software > development for a company if they refused to give their real name. I don't > see why they should expect to be able to be part of the free software > community under similar circumstances. >
It's not just present on "social community" sites. Look at the entirety of sourceforge. That's quite a large respository of free software, and yet it consists 100% of fake-named people (and please understand what I mean by that.) It's even a place where projects get tons of donations, and yet these people are completely anonymous. I've received donations myself through SF, even from not just one, but several very large corporations -- one of which you wouldn't believe if I showed you the proof.
