

Why developers should start choosing conscience over profit - johns
http://venturebeat.com/2013/02/18/developers-choosing-conscience-over-profit/

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niggler
It's easy to suggest that developers shun "profit"-based targets like ad-
optimization, but those thoughts only seem to come to those who have already
secured themselves financially (although I don't know the exact financial
position of Jeff Hammerbacher or Alex Payne or Jason Cavnar, they certainly
aren't strapped for cash) and these articles come off as people talking out of
both sides of their mouths.

I'd like to see concrete examples with high-profile companies of where
conscience was favored over profit.

~~~
Nursie
Actually there are many people in the world who would have moral issues with
working to make the world a worse place, but still need to keep the paychecks
coming in.

I know a few developers who would never work for the defense industry, because
no matter how justified some wars may be they don't want to directly
contribute to weapon code. I'm not sure if I'm with them as it's never come
up, but it might be.

I know a fair few people (myself definitely included) who would never work for
companies making intrusive ads or advertising/tracking software, because it
actively makes the world a worse place for everyone.

These aren't exactly ditching it all to make software that actively makes the
world a better place, but if we all refused to make the world a worse place,
wouldn't that be good as well?

And if you're reading HN, you have career and employment choices, you really
do.

~~~
chimi
I asked some engineer friends of mine who work for a govt contractor building
helicopter control systems how they felt about their work being used to kill
innocent people in foreign countries.

To answer the question, they rubbed their fingers together making the "money
gesture"...

~~~
Nursie
Can't say much to that other than 'That's a shame'.

I am a realist, I recognise that the 'if' in 'if we all decided not to make
the world a worse place' is a very, very big if indeed. Some people just don't
care, and it's not like we can all agree on what morality is anyway. To some
people it's likely to be seen as extremely moral to contribute to your
country's defense capabilities.

So... yeah. But if we could all stop working for the tracking/ad industry I'd
be stoked :)

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thebear
I always think of Tim O'Reilly as an inspiring example of a Maker. Will I ever
be anywhere close to being up there with him? No. Will I consider myself a
failure if I'll never be a true Maker? No. But it doesn't hurt to go through
life with the aspiration to be a little bit like Tim O'Reilly. Perhaps that
will make me spot an opportunity that I would otherwise have overlooked. This
quote by the man himself never ceases to inspire me: “Pursue something so
important that even if you fail, the world is better off with you having
tried.”

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chimi
I'll get downvoted to oblivion for saying this, but conscience is why I choose
closed source over open source.

If I open my source code, anyone in the world can use it to do whatever they
want, evil or otherwise. With closed source, I can choose who my customers are
-- at least I have more control over it. Of course if people are skilled, bad,
and determined enough, nothing will keep them out.

I can and do, also choose to let people use my software for free when I want
to. With Open Source, I don't have that power.

~~~
canibanoglu
This is basically why I'm partial to open source. Free software with control
over who has access to the source is a much better solution.

~~~
chimi
If anyone but you has the source, you no longer control access to it. You
_and_ they do and if they decide to upload it to BitTorrent, what are you
going to do?

~~~
canibanoglu
That would be a good test to see if you made the right decision with giving a
specific person access.

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makerbreaker
The author should hire a hacker for 100k/yr and let them work on whatever "is
fulfilling" to them then, as it must be nice to look down on "optimizing your
paycheck" when student loans exist. Fwiw making cool stuff and money are not
mutually exclusive.

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abc_lisper
Hahahahahahahahahahaha ..... ok

