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RE: What about changing the rules?

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Hi Bill

<YourComment>
The problem is, how do you decide to split up the revenues within
groups? Does the person who contribute the most lines of code get the
most? What is the metric to be used? What about the architect who
didn't write much code, but came up with a great design and managed to
get developers to work on it? Unlike a traditional company, there is
no strict hierarchy. There is no employeement agreement, and
bug-patchers are equivalent to extremely short-term temps. If I send
in a bug, how do I know how much money I will get? Put it up to a
vote? How do I make a rational economic decision of which group to
contribute to, and how much of my time to contribute?
</YourComment>

<Reply>
These are indeed good questions. So, it seems that to prevent any problems,
the default solution is:
a) let everybody work for free
b) let the people get the work's result for free
c) If this piece of software get some popularity. Then someone grabs the
package and make money :-)

Here are my answers:
a) yes it is an adocracy

First a question about one of the biggest virtual corporation in the world.
Do you who's Visa president?, do you know the business figures of Visa?
Don't worry, a lot of people don't. This is because Visa is a kind of
federation. The guy who founded that is now doing lectures at the New Mexico
institute on nonlinear systems. He created the concept of a chaordic system.
Basically, Visa worked even if each member got conflicting interest by a
good chart specifying the rules of the game. So, in that case, what you need
are rules fair enough for people. Also, if you talk about ownership, it
should be ownership. People get shares. The model you presented is like a
distributor dealing with independent producers. In the "United Developers"
organization we talk about ownership. Off course, we will have to put a
limit to it. For example, each customer may have a non voting share. Sounds
stupid? Here is an other case study. Recently a site named TravelZoo
(http://www.travelzoo.com) offered a non voting stock to people who
registered to their site . After 3 month they got 700 000 stock holders(they
call these people co-owners). There is actually an other site who's doing
the same thing but I couldn't get the number of people who already
registered and got a stock there (http://www.Exit23b.com).
In one sentence, to do this, the first step is to create the rules and try
to be as fair as possible.

I am sorry that your trial failed but it does not mean that an other one
would.
</Reply>

<YourComment>
In writing open-source, you can justify working for your own enjoyment,
but can you justify working on stuff for someone else's enjoyment/use
if you're not getting paid? Unlike the beautiful revolutionary rhetoric
we read on Slashdot, I feel the open-source movement is primarily
a selfish one.
</YourComment>

<Reply>
Maybe, I don't know. It could be also the trip to learn or to work with
others on something. You may be right and your description may suit to
certain people in this movement. However, there is now several millions
people on the net and there is a higher probability that you can find people
with a different mind set.
This first wave just showed a model. There is now enough people on the web
to try other ones.
I agree with you that the finishing touches are important like documentation
and packaging. If the group makes money, we can have people working on this.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts and experience. I know that this world
is not perfect, but let's pretend it is. This way, we will have the courage
to change things and simply change the rules. Some of our ancestors did that
before us. Just imagine for a moment what it would have been if you where
born in the year 1000 and being a serf. If nobody did something, you would
be today a serf.

So, my simple answer, let's give it a try at the risk of creating something
better :-) But we learn from your experience and we thank you for this.
</Reply>

Regards
Didier PH Martin
mailto:martind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
http://www.netfolder.com


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