Compensation and Success at the foundation of Open Source

In future I have no problem providing walkthrough audio with notes on screen, as a presentation, at key points, if worth it. I do a lot of video presentations of >3 hour complex considerations boiled down to <20 minutes, or <5 minutes or less sometimes, for principals.

And by the way, one who did not read does not know. At best they are a spectator. If there is serious engagement, one will read. Judges read. And if not, no longer a judge. We value the reader being able to see through the document and not be hung up or moving too fast mentally to cast a decision. But we also need a sense of what is going on and whether it applies to us, so I would do that part. If that is preferred alongside written notes ( “written” being a requirement of movement toward formation, and “motion” is a legal term underneath “movement” ) … no problem at all.

@paulishca I noticed your follow-up / thread-off with the phrase “equity kind of association” and :clap: so I believe you are serious, and paying attention. I would back you up in whatever way I can since you seem sincere and active, not just in code, but in leadership thinking. You do not seem like a mercenary coder, but a co/founder. Not a volunteer only. Not the employee of an other. Independent, with partners or not, but independent.

Navigating international jurisdictions is an awesome topic I am restraining myself from getting into now. And if interested I will contribute on that in a new founders category, versus startups or ideas because being a founder is way more than all the hype and buzzwords. It is a fiduciary situation, and separates the community into "responsible to others' and their rights" and "great coder, love 'em" or "brings a great influence" but not "gets the document and has to sign, and show up if it fails, and go to jail if it really really goes wrong" down the middle.


Thought to give an example here now, still alongside the issues, not solving the problem for the community itself, but thinking about the individual:

Being able to make a living as a */OSS maintainer, committer, or original author can be difficult, and I see many try it and fail. But plenty succeed, and I don’t mean like Evan You … which is rare. I mean in a way that sustains one individual who might remain unknown for the most part. Or stay a low-key hobbyist, or be minimalist, or whatever else, just not “go big” in */OSS like a few have.

The “not famous” group, I believe, would fork a repository of business tools to make their own practice.

Being able to spin up a living the same way we spin up an instance of an example application, then just doing what has to happen to make a life for one’s self, really would just be */OSS realizing:

Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day.
Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.

We skip that truth in our thinking and just send fish like it’s Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy … or we make others send fish. Or we beg for fish and show progress deserving of fish, etc.

Associations become 10x more important then since one is not some obscure rando anymore, but that goes to the true problem, which as seems to be proven here, this community excels with. I do not know who does actual business here other than be a Galaxy user, or becoming an employee of an other, but I suspect there are many who would do awesome as independents, and work side-by-side as well as share insights, encouragement, etc. “As long as it involves Meteor” for example.

"Every man for himself" is the truth all the way down, and that is what makes great friendships and alliances, because one is truly interested in himself or herself, which means this other party has actual value and deserves actual returns or rewards or respect, etc.

When I see huge documents where each individual coder or similar is trying to justify his or her existence all alone, trying to make enough to keep a volunteer lifestyle going, and failing or struggling; there being literally tens and hundreds of thousands if not millions of those ones now… I think "Open Source" is more than about "Software" at the end, and more than about "Free" or "Commercial" on the front. We have wisdom, experience, real ways, trade secrets, trail tips, actual opportunities, etc… why not get into that, and square-away individuals on purpose if we truly support awesome work?

Do we not rely? Is it not self-interest motivating us when we make sure they succeed? The “charity” model is most often insincere. Usually on both sides. But it is not out of being liars necessarily, whether to our self or others… it is just too limited a view of business and finance and law. Which totally makes sense because those are a mess, and we overcome that.

That is the true story underneath Meteor ( more than most */OSS ) … someone somewhere did not fall on their face long enough for others to also not fall on their faces, and here we are, still not falling on our faces, having encountered others like ourselves, and now we work toward more than “not falling on our faces” … but many still fall on their face weekly or monthly or daily! But they suck it up and try again, and just not let it show. We know it is going on. Why not solve that?