I think an important question is: does it matter to me how many people use my (open source) software or not? And it seems to me usually it does matter. More users means higher likelihood for other people to provide patches. It means higher esteem for me, which should translate into higher consulting rates. Therefore I don't quite get the "fuck you, customer" attitude. If you don't care, why even bother to open source the software? Just keep it private on your hard disk.
(Note: I didn't read the whole rant. Presumably there were some obnoxious customers. Whatever - how likely is it that they read his rant and change their ways? Not very likely imo).
I make some of my code available for others to use as they will. I do not consider myself to be an open-source developer. I really don't care how many people use it, but it's nice that some people find it useful. I have the code, it costs me nothing to make it available, and others think it makes their world better, so that's OK then.
I don't have an aggressive "customer" attitude, but I get pretty annoyed when someone who uses the software then demands that I change something. Not request, not suggest, not offer to help, but demand that it be changed.
I'm not looking for more esteem, better rates, "karma" of any sort, I'm just happy to make it available because I think the world can't be worse off, and might be better off. I really, really don't care how many people use it, and what is clear is that keeping it private on my hard drive means that there is no chance it makes the world a better place.
You don't seem to be able to comprehend the idea that people will sometimes just make their work available to others without any desire or need to recognition or compensation. I think the world would be a better place if people did.
"You don't seem to be able to comprehend the idea that people will sometimes just make their work available to others without any desire or need to recognition or compensation."
If that really were so, then why the rant? So a part of you seems to care. The "demanding" customers are basically just dumb or socially challenged, so I would pity them, not write a long rant.
First of all, your use of "you" immediately after the reference to the long rant seems to show a confusion. I'm not the author of the long rant, although I'm in largely the same situation. It's not especially relevant that I didn't write the linked article, but I thought I'd make that clear.
Secondly, it may be that you didn't intend it, but your first sentence is calling me a liar. I object to that, and ask that you withdraw it. It is so, I say it is so as a matter of fact because I am one of them, and while you may legitimately express doubt, starting a sentence with "If that were so ..." (emphasis added) is calling me a liar, and I think it's out of order.
Thirdly, I really don't care if people use my code, but I really do care that some people then behave in the obnoxious manner that they do.
You may be sufficiently socially disconnected - I don't know if you are, but you might be - to pity people who do the internet equivalent of repeatedly spitting in your face, but I'm not, and I object to it, especially when they use my work.
Oh dear, I guess if we were in a bar we would now start a bar fight and hit each other over the head with beer glassed? Sorry if I hurt your feelings, and no, I did not intend to call you a liar, just probing a little. I see a degree of difference, but it is not important enough to me to have a fight over it.
Anyway, sorry I even chimed in onto the conversation. Obviously people have different reasons to publish their stuff.
> Oh dear, I guess if we were in a bar we would now start a bar fight and hit each other over the head with beer glassed?
If we were face to face I suspect it would've gone completely differently. I don't think you'd've said what you did in the way that you did. I was simply trying to point out that you were, in my opinion, being rather more aggressive than perhaps you thought.
I accept that you didn't intend to call me a liar.
I'm not sorry you chimed in. I haven't down-mud you because I think you have added value to this thread. You have expressed a point of view. I think what you said was wrong, and I've supplied my point of view as a counter to it. The thread has been longer than I'd've liked, but that's the way it's gone.
I hope I've expressed myself clearly enough that you now understand my position, even if you might not agree with it.
The "fuck you, customer" is often a different way to raise esteem. The feeling is that if others read about how badass you are at not caring what others think of your projects, they will think you're badass and ask you to do contract work for them. Presumably they'll realize that only a really really uncaring badass person will write a long screed about how they really don't care.
(gah, the original post is such a long exercise is self-important posturing! Complete with careful recitation of all the opensource work he's done. And then I followed the link to the bio site to learn the guy does "Agile coaching". At that point I even briefly considered doing a facepalm gesture).
(Note: I didn't read the whole rant. Presumably there were some obnoxious customers. Whatever - how likely is it that they read his rant and change their ways? Not very likely imo).