brainstorming for UDS-N - Application Developers

[Clint Byrum]

On Oct 4, 2010, at 12:42 PM, Scott Kitterman wrote:

> On Monday, October 04, 2010 03:12:15 pm Krzysztof Klimonda wrote:
>> On Mon, 2010-10-04 at 14:31 -0400, Scott Kitterman wrote:
>>> On Monday, October 04, 2010 02:27:25 pm Krzysztof Klimonda wrote:
>>>> Yes, I believe that right now those are, along with the paid Ubuntu
>>>> Software Center, the most important things we can do to make Ubuntu a
>>>> more viable platform for independent developers.
>>> 
>>> Personally, I suspect that if Ubuntu becomes a platform for delivering
>>> paid proprietary add-ons, it would be significantly demotivating to
>>> those of us volunteering our time for free to build a FOSS operating
>>> system.
>>> 
>>> Scott K
>> 
>> I don't see proprietary applications (add-ons? what do you mean) being
>> demotivating for our community developers unless whole Ubuntu makes a
>> switch to promote them and FOSS applications suffer in the process.
> 
> Should I invest my time in building a Free operating system or in things that 
> Ubuntu will distribute for me that I will get paid for?  If I continue to 
> invest my time in the Free operating system while other people profit from my 
> work with proprietary applications sold on Ubuntu, how much of a fool am I?
> 

The real meaning of the word Ubuntu comes to mind here.

I'm sorry if I have this wrong, but basically, the positive things
we all do, help us all.

To take ESR's metaphor to another level, these app developers are
neither  in the cathedral, nor are they out there selling and trading
in the bazaar. They are performing, hoping for somebody to toss a
coin in their hat, or giving tours for a few dollars. For the people
who amuse or enrich enough, they get a reputation, and maybe they
get rich. But the point is, they are in fact enriching the market
in so many ways. They're pulling in the masses into what was a
scary, loud, boring place for those who didn't want to barter and
trade.