I'd say I normally don't respond to idiots... but I think we all know that's a lie. Our fine friends at Slashdot pointed out an "interesting" article which opines that the downturning Economy to Give Open-Source a Good Thumping. There's a bit in the middle that points out that people still don't get it.
I've got news for them... we do it for many reasons, none of them are "we think we're going to get rich." Of course, there isn't actually a "we" that I can speak for, but I can speak for me.
I write Free Software because I believe that Software should be Free.
I write Free Software because I enjoy writing software.
I write Free Software because someone needs to, and although there aren't that many things I can do that will actually make the world a better place, this is one of them.
It so happens that I grew up and went to school in another field that shares a similar characteristic of individual drive - Theatre.
If you are going to study theatre with the intention of pursuing it as a career, the first thing to learn is that it is likely you will never actually make a living at it. Here are some stats (1):
Doesn't sound like a smart way to make a gazillion dollars does it? You're right - it's not. It boils down to the fact that even if you are trying to make money from theatre, you are essentially just stupid. Even though Julia Roberts and Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino and Johnny Depp all make millions, you won't. Statistically.
Guess what? Just because Jeff Bezos and Larry Page and Sergey Brin and Monty Widenus are now quite rich, doesn't mean I am. I'm not. And you won't be either. Not by programming. Not ever. Statistically.
Now, do you see any of the actors stopping? I've worked on several shows while here in Seattle. A couple of them have been at respectable professional theatres. A couple have been with fringe groups. I have myself produced and directed a couple of shows funded solely with the ever popular "sweat equity." Do I do it for money? No. I had a day job - and the "stipend" that I get paid even at the pro theatres when amortized over time spent would be far less than minimum wage. Do I do it because I was hoping that a travelling reviewer from New York would happen in on my production, review me and put my name in front of a big-time producer? No, that would be assinine.
I do it because it's what I do.
I won't stop if the economy takes a downturn. In fact, if I'm out of work, that means I'll have more time to spend doing what I do. If EVERYONE is out of work, we'll ALL have more time to work on things.
I truly feel sorry Andrew Keen and his ilk. If the economy truly bottoms, I'll still have something to do, because what I do isn't driven by the chase of wealth. I will still know who I am when I wake up in the morning.
I will still do Theatre.
I will still write Free Software.
I hope Mr. Keen has a hobby.
-------------- (1) From Acting Professionally by Robert Cohen
The hungry and cold unemployed masses aren’t going to continue giving away their intellectual labor on the Internet in the speculative hope that they might get some "back end" revenue. "Free" doesn’t fill anyone’s belly; it doesn’t warm anyone up.The disconnect seems to continue to be an idea that we're doing the Free Software in hopes that it might turn a profit one day. The people who share this disconnect seem to think Free Software is a "gimmick" of some sort.
I've got news for them... we do it for many reasons, none of them are "we think we're going to get rich." Of course, there isn't actually a "we" that I can speak for, but I can speak for me.
I write Free Software because I believe that Software should be Free.
I write Free Software because I enjoy writing software.
I write Free Software because someone needs to, and although there aren't that many things I can do that will actually make the world a better place, this is one of them.
It so happens that I grew up and went to school in another field that shares a similar characteristic of individual drive - Theatre.
If you are going to study theatre with the intention of pursuing it as a career, the first thing to learn is that it is likely you will never actually make a living at it. Here are some stats (1):
- There are more than 100k professional actors in the US. Fewer than half of them make an income higher than the national poverty level for a single person in any given year.
- On average, only 5 or 6% of them make a normal middle class income in a given year.
- In a country of more than a million lawyers, 4.5 million mechanics and nearly 8 million machine operators, there are only about 2000 to 3000 people who make a living as an actor for at least ten years in a row.
- Add to that, there are nearly 200 graduate actor-training programs and over a thousand university theatre programs churning out new actors every year.
Doesn't sound like a smart way to make a gazillion dollars does it? You're right - it's not. It boils down to the fact that even if you are trying to make money from theatre, you are essentially just stupid. Even though Julia Roberts and Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino and Johnny Depp all make millions, you won't. Statistically.
Guess what? Just because Jeff Bezos and Larry Page and Sergey Brin and Monty Widenus are now quite rich, doesn't mean I am. I'm not. And you won't be either. Not by programming. Not ever. Statistically.
Now, do you see any of the actors stopping? I've worked on several shows while here in Seattle. A couple of them have been at respectable professional theatres. A couple have been with fringe groups. I have myself produced and directed a couple of shows funded solely with the ever popular "sweat equity." Do I do it for money? No. I had a day job - and the "stipend" that I get paid even at the pro theatres when amortized over time spent would be far less than minimum wage. Do I do it because I was hoping that a travelling reviewer from New York would happen in on my production, review me and put my name in front of a big-time producer? No, that would be assinine.
I do it because it's what I do.
I won't stop if the economy takes a downturn. In fact, if I'm out of work, that means I'll have more time to spend doing what I do. If EVERYONE is out of work, we'll ALL have more time to work on things.
I truly feel sorry Andrew Keen and his ilk. If the economy truly bottoms, I'll still have something to do, because what I do isn't driven by the chase of wealth. I will still know who I am when I wake up in the morning.
I will still do Theatre.
I will still write Free Software.
I hope Mr. Keen has a hobby.
-------------- (1) From Acting Professionally by Robert Cohen
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