Subject: RE: What about changing the rules? From: "Didier PH Martin" <martind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Date: Thu, 25 Mar 1999 17:08:40 -0500 |
Hi Bill <YourComment> The problem is, how do you decide to split up the revenues within groups? Does the person who contribute the most lines of code get the most? What is the metric to be used? What about the architect who didn't write much code, but came up with a great design and managed to get developers to work on it? Unlike a traditional company, there is no strict hierarchy. There is no employeement agreement, and bug-patchers are equivalent to extremely short-term temps. If I send in a bug, how do I know how much money I will get? Put it up to a vote? How do I make a rational economic decision of which group to contribute to, and how much of my time to contribute? </YourComment> <Reply> These are indeed good questions. So, it seems that to prevent any problems, the default solution is: a) let everybody work for free b) let the people get the work's result for free c) If this piece of software get some popularity. Then someone grabs the package and make money :-) Here are my answers: a) yes it is an adocracy First a question about one of the biggest virtual corporation in the world. Do you who's Visa president?, do you know the business figures of Visa? Don't worry, a lot of people don't. This is because Visa is a kind of federation. The guy who founded that is now doing lectures at the New Mexico institute on nonlinear systems. He created the concept of a chaordic system. Basically, Visa worked even if each member got conflicting interest by a good chart specifying the rules of the game. So, in that case, what you need are rules fair enough for people. Also, if you talk about ownership, it should be ownership. People get shares. The model you presented is like a distributor dealing with independent producers. In the "United Developers" organization we talk about ownership. Off course, we will have to put a limit to it. For example, each customer may have a non voting share. Sounds stupid? Here is an other case study. Recently a site named TravelZoo (http://www.travelzoo.com) offered a non voting stock to people who registered to their site . After 3 month they got 700 000 stock holders(they call these people co-owners). There is actually an other site who's doing the same thing but I couldn't get the number of people who already registered and got a stock there (http://www.Exit23b.com). In one sentence, to do this, the first step is to create the rules and try to be as fair as possible. I am sorry that your trial failed but it does not mean that an other one would. </Reply> <YourComment> In writing open-source, you can justify working for your own enjoyment, but can you justify working on stuff for someone else's enjoyment/use if you're not getting paid? Unlike the beautiful revolutionary rhetoric we read on Slashdot, I feel the open-source movement is primarily a selfish one. </YourComment> <Reply> Maybe, I don't know. It could be also the trip to learn or to work with others on something. You may be right and your description may suit to certain people in this movement. However, there is now several millions people on the net and there is a higher probability that you can find people with a different mind set. This first wave just showed a model. There is now enough people on the web to try other ones. I agree with you that the finishing touches are important like documentation and packaging. If the group makes money, we can have people working on this. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and experience. I know that this world is not perfect, but let's pretend it is. This way, we will have the courage to change things and simply change the rules. Some of our ancestors did that before us. Just imagine for a moment what it would have been if you where born in the year 1000 and being a serf. If nobody did something, you would be today a serf. So, my simple answer, let's give it a try at the risk of creating something better :-) But we learn from your experience and we thank you for this. </Reply> Regards Didier PH Martin mailto:martind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx http://www.netfolder.com XSL-List info and archive: http://www.mulberrytech.com/xsl/xsl-list
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