On: Bill Gates' Open Letter to Hobbyists

[borism]

let's rephrase that a bit:

What hobbyist can put 3-man years into programming, finding all bugs, documenting his product and distribute for free for a living?

[whughes → borism]

Your rephrasing doesn't make any sense. Bill Gates wants to convince people that hobbyism can't create good software, and he needs the money. Why should the audience (pirates) care about whether hobbyists make a living, as long as they get their software?

[borism → whughes]

I was replying to a misconception that somehow today thousands of open source contributors can make a living by simply being that. That's not the case with 99% of open source developers I know.

[gxs → borism]

That is exactly how I took it, and it stands today.

[MaysonL → borism]

One who sold his startup, or has a big enough 401K, and feels like changing the world instead of making more money.

[shpxnvz → borism]

It's not a hobby if you intend to make a living.

[borism → shpxnvz]

You can make a living out of hobby. But that's not how most open source developers make a living.