--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: in the absence of money compensation…" description: "\"“in the absence of money compensation, think “It’s not worth submitting this fix because I’ll have to clean up the patch, write a ChangeLog entry, and ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/47c/eric-s-raymond-5007_contributing_in-the-absence-of-money-compensation-thi_2013682.jpg" --- # in the absence of money compensation, think “It’s not… ![“in the absence of money compensation, think “It’s not worth submitting this fix because I’ll have to clean up the patch, write a ChangeLog entry, and sign the FSF assignment papers...”. It’s for this reason that the number of contributors (and, at second order, the success of) projects is strongly…” quote by Eric S. Raymond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/47c/eric-s-raymond-5007_contributing_in-the-absence-of-money-compensation-thi_2013682.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/47c/eric-s-raymond-5007_contributing_in-the-absence-of-money-compensation-thi_2013682.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/47c/eric-s-raymond-5007_contributing_in-the-absence-of-money-compensation-thi_2013682.jpg) > ““in the absence of money compensation, think “It’s not worth submitting this fix because I’ll have to clean up the patch, write a ChangeLog entry, and sign the FSF assignment papers...”. It’s for this reason that the number of contributors (and, at second order, the success of) projects is strongly and inversely correlated with the number of hoops each project makes a contributing user go through. Such friction costs may be political as well as mechanical. Together I think they explain why the loose, amorphous Linux culture has attracted orders of magnitude more cooperative energy than the more tightly organized and centralized BSD efforts — and why the Free Software Foundation has receded in relative importance as Linux has risen.”” [Eric S. Raymond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-s-raymond/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Excessive contribution barriers reduce participation and hinder project success, especially in tightly controlled environments. **In simple terms:** Too many hoops discourage contributors. Key Takeaway Simplify contribution processes. Themes open source collaboration community bureaucracy Mood critical analytical Type observational analytical When to use this quote - software projects - open source communities - developer onboarding Key Concepts contributor friction political cost mechanical cost Questions to Reflect On - How can we balance ease of contribution with maintaining standards? - What incentives can replace bureaucratic steps? A Different Perspective Simplification may reduce quality control. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [Technology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technology/) ## Related quotes > [The Wesnoth devs are good but not exceptionally so, and we're weighed down by a crappy implementation language (C++). Nevertheless our productivity, in terms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-s-raymond/the-wesnoth-devs-are-good-but-not-exceptionally-so-and-we-re-weighed/) [Eric S. 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Not the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/a-moment-i-ve-been-dreading-george-brought-his-ne-re-do-well-son/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [Bisexuals need to recognize that their being closeted is a huge contributing factor to the hostility they face.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-savage/bisexuals-need-to-recognize-that-their-being-closeted-is-a-huge/) [Dan Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-savage/) > [When I finish contributing, I feel like I've left enough to where people are gonna say, 'They got that from Too $hort.' I'm not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/too-short/when-i-finish-contributing-i-feel-like-i-ve-left-enough-to-where/) [Too Short](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/too-short/) ## More by Eric S. Raymond > [The Wesnoth devs are good but not exceptionally so, and we're weighed down by a crappy implementation language (C++). 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It’s for this reason that the number of contributors (and, at second order, the success of) projects is strongly and inversely correlated with the number of hoops each project makes a contributing user go through. Such friction costs may be political as well as mechanical. Together I think they explain why the loose, amorphous Linux culture has attracted orders of magnitude more cooperative energy than the more tightly organized and centralized BSD efforts — and why the Free Software Foundation has receded in relative importance as Linux has risen.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Eric S. 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