Subject: Re: [linux-audio-user] Funds for free audio software
From: Mark Constable (markc_AT_renta.net)
Date: Sun Sep 16 2001 - 14:31:15 EEST
On Sun, 16 Sep 2001 17:57, Patrick Shirkey wrote:
> I am starting to think that it is pointless to offer money to the coders
> who create the software. I think that we get a more morally justified
> product if there is no money involved in it's production. Also there is
> less likely hood of getting the evil eye from the people who just do it
> for the love of it ;]
Fortunately, coding is not an expensive passtime to pursue,
unless there is a family/mortgage depending on a nonpursued
higher income.
It would be great if genuine coders could be at least
subsidised for their time but, as Jorn pointed out, the
organisation to administer this could turn into a monster
in it's own right, where it's own funding could outweight
the funds being passed on. I said "could".
This is really a general open/free software issue but the
code that builds multimedia applications has some chance
of producing "value" beyond the software itself... as in
the content that is and will be produced. An office package
or web server software makes things run nicely, and could
have been a paid-for to supplement or pay it's production,
even if it was by donation... but multimedia software is
particularly capable of producing quite potentially valuable
"pieces" in terms of coolness and appreciation, but without
royalties (for successful product anyway) there is no
returning income stream for the creators of the (presumably,
in most cases) open content.
In the next few years we'll see open-sourced adherents
creating good, and bad, pieces of art without directly
seeking or expecting reward... and these people will not
have written one line of source code themselves.. yet they
are legitimate open/free software/content creators/users...
just not hackers in the typical sense we know of them now.
Now... there _will_ be coagulation of some of this "art"
into areas where it can be displayed (mainly websites) and
eventually it'll be percieved to have potential fiscal
value if peddled or flogged to the masses... oops, I mean
"marketed properly".
The point I'm struggling to make is that if "we" don't
come up with decent methods to deal with this "value" of
product then the sharks will entice the best of us away
with promises, and delivery in some cases, of old-world
screw-em-while-you-can profiteers and opportunists...
oops again, I mean business opportunitties.
There should at least be some organised effort to get open
sourced arts into the eyes and ears of the people that
think twice about simply buying yet another CD, DVD or
video tape... people just like us... but where can I, for
instance, hear any open sourced music created by software
I am dearly hoping becomes usable before tooo much longer ?
Thanks (to whomever) for providing LAU where we can discuss
things like this.
--markc
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