On Fri, 14 Jan 2005, Baudouin, Andrew wrote: > I can't help but look at the kernel changelogs and notice how many > @intel.com, @osdl.org, @redhat.com, @suse.de, @ibm.com email addresses are > doing the bulk of the work. These people are all GETTING PAID to work on the > kernel (and that is truly what Linux is, a KERNEL. If you want to talk > about an OS, you need to qualify your statement with GNU/Linux..but I'm sure > you know that.) If I had a choice as to a) getting paid for hacking on > GNU/Linux or b) getting paid for hacking on Microsoft, the choice is a > no-brainer. Unfortunately, there isn't that choice here.
Very true, but the statement was "Linux *started* as a hobbyist project". It wouldn't have even been started if not for many, many people devoting thousands of hours of time to the project. Don't discount the thousands of man-hours that thousands of developers have invested in Linux, in their own spare time. There is nothing ignoble about getting paid to work on Linux, investing real money, or even making money with Linux. I once asked an IBM vice-pres why they're investing so much in Linux. He simply, and honestly said, "It makes good business sense". Bottom line: All those companies can make money on Linux. They're investing billions. If we can reap some benefits of their investment while they still make money, then that's fine with me. It's a win-win situation for everyone from the bean counters on wall street, to the fan boys. ray
