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Better job Quote by Eric S. Raymond

“The Lockean logic of custom suggests strongly that open-source hackers observe the customs they do in order to defend some kind of expected return from their effort. The return must be more significant than the effort of homesteading projects, the cost of maintaining version histories that…” quote by Eric S. Raymond
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““The Lockean logic of custom suggests strongly that open-source hackers observe the customs they do in order to defend some kind of expected return from their effort. The return must be more significant than the effort of homesteading projects, the cost of maintaining version histories that document “chain of title”, and the time cost of making public notifications and waiting before taking adverse possession of an orphaned project. Furthermore, the “yield” from open source must be something more than simply the use of the software, something else that would be compromised or diluted by forking. If use were the only issue, there would be no taboo against forking, and open-source ownership would not resemble land tenure at all. In fact, this alternate world (where use is the only yield, and forking is unproblematic) is the one implied by existing open-source licenses. We can eliminate some candidate kinds of yield right away. Because you can’t coerce effectively over a network connection, seeking power is right out. Likewise, the open-source culture doesn’t have anything much resembling money or an internal scarcity economy, so hackers cannot be pursuing anything very closely analogous to material wealth (e.g. the accumulation of scarcity tokens). There is one way that open-source activity can help people become wealthier, however — a way that provides a valuable clue to what actually motivates it. Occasionally, the reputation one gains in the hacker culture can spill over into the real world in economically significant ways. It can get you a better job offer, or a consulting contract, or a book deal. This kind of side effect, however, is at best rare and marginal for most hackers; far too much so to make it convincing as a sole explanation, even if we ignore the repeated protestations by hackers that they’re doing what they do not for money but out of idealism or love. However, the way such economic side effects are mediated is worth examination.””

Eric S. Raymond

About This Quote

The text argues that open‑source contributors seek more than mere usage; they value reputation and indirect economic benefits, though these are limited and not the primary motive.

In simple terms: Open‑source work offers reputation and occasional material gains.

Key Takeaway

Recognize broader motivations beyond profit.

Themes

open source motivation reputation economics

Mood

analytical critical

Type

technical sociological

When to use this quote

  • contributing to projects
  • career advancement
  • networking
  • licensing decisions

Key Concepts

software development social capital incentive structures

Questions to Reflect On

  • What drives your participation in open‑source?
  • How do you measure the value of your contributions?
A Different Perspective

Reputation gains are rare and not universal.

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