So why aren't you participating in the development of open source software?
For our project, we researched the open-source development market, reviewed a significant number of articles and speeches, translated the most interesting and relevant in our opinion.
Introducing the translation of the article by Egor Bugaenko “Why Don't You Contribute to Open Source?” :
In one of last year’s posts, I said that participation in open-source projects affects the programmer’s market value. If information on commits and participation in a large number of projects cannot be found on your GitHub profile, then in the eyes of those around you, your value as a developer decreases. Neglect of participation in the open source says that you really do not like programming, you just work for money. My post caused a lot of angry comments, and today I will try to answer them.
The essence of the comments boils down to the following statement: "I do not work in open-source projects, but this does not prevent me from harboring a passion for development." Then follows a list of reasons by which the authors of such comments justify their position:
')
Good excuses, but let's look at them from a different angle.
Now it is impossible to create software without using open source components. I'm sure no one will argue. Only some basic things can be created without code reuse. Not even that. Even tiny programs cannot be implemented without open source. At the very minimum you will need at least an OS and a programming language. And in most cases they have open source (Microsoft is an exception and should disappear altogether).
That is, whatever software you would create, you use modules created by someone for you. Someone spent their time to help you.
And you do not give anything in return.
And I wonder why?
There may be two reasons. The first - you do not care. Having received something, you do not want to give anything in return. You just do not feel like a participant in this market. You take ready-made libraries, use them in your product, get a salary and go home. You are not worried about the future of the industry, fellow programmers, the language in which you write, the platform and everything else. You do not want to improve or create libraries, share them, report bugs and request features, send patches and pull requests.
I understand it. You are not alone, there are millions of such programmers. But please do not tell me that you are passionate about development. Just admit your indifference. In the end, it is not a crime. You do not steal anything (I think you steal - but this is another story).
This is the first reason for neglecting open source projects. However, my opponents most often assert that they do not give a damn - but there is also no way to help. The family absorbs all the free time, and in the office it is simply impossible to work on what lies outside the sphere of the company's interests. I can understand this, but let's look behind the veil of excuses.
You claim that the company is not interested in the development of the industry as a whole, right? It does not allow you to contribute to the work of the open source community. She wants you to use free libraries without giving anything back. And what is this corporate strategy. I strongly doubt it. Did you talk about this topic with the technical director?
I am more than confident that in 95% of cases your supervisor will not mind your contribution to a couple of libraries used in projects, if you explain that it would be good to improve them a little. Worth trying.
Sometimes the boss says that he doesn’t care, and it’s better to focus on your product. I do not know, maybe this is a common practice.
In that case, let the philosophical question. You work for such a person, in such a company. You get their salary. Are you not part of this team, do not share such a world view? If you have not yet quit, then obviously accept this attitude. You are part of it. Not only do they not care, you too. It is because of your position that they can remain indifferent.
Tomorrow, if you are asked to use stolen software, you will say that there was no choice: “The manager asked. I am for copyrights and I believe that authors should be paid, but I had to steal it because the company asked. ” Sounds like a good excuse, right?
The same with open source. If you care and have a passion for development, you invest in the development of open source projects or leave a company that does not share your views. What, for some reason you can not quit? Then do not tell me about the hobby. Just admit that you are too weak to follow your passion.
And this is also not a crime. That is your nature and everything.
A source
Introducing the translation of the article by Egor Bugaenko “Why Don't You Contribute to Open Source?” :
In one of last year’s posts, I said that participation in open-source projects affects the programmer’s market value. If information on commits and participation in a large number of projects cannot be found on your GitHub profile, then in the eyes of those around you, your value as a developer decreases. Neglect of participation in the open source says that you really do not like programming, you just work for money. My post caused a lot of angry comments, and today I will try to answer them.
The essence of the comments boils down to the following statement: "I do not work in open-source projects, but this does not prevent me from harboring a passion for development." Then follows a list of reasons by which the authors of such comments justify their position:
')
- I spend all my free time with my family.
- I have enough things to do, why should I do something else?
- I get paid well, why work for free?
- My employer does not allow to engage in open source projects.
- My company won't pay me for it.
Good excuses, but let's look at them from a different angle.
Now it is impossible to create software without using open source components. I'm sure no one will argue. Only some basic things can be created without code reuse. Not even that. Even tiny programs cannot be implemented without open source. At the very minimum you will need at least an OS and a programming language. And in most cases they have open source (Microsoft is an exception and should disappear altogether).
That is, whatever software you would create, you use modules created by someone for you. Someone spent their time to help you.
And you do not give anything in return.
And I wonder why?
Just admit that you don't care. It is not a crime yet.
There may be two reasons. The first - you do not care. Having received something, you do not want to give anything in return. You just do not feel like a participant in this market. You take ready-made libraries, use them in your product, get a salary and go home. You are not worried about the future of the industry, fellow programmers, the language in which you write, the platform and everything else. You do not want to improve or create libraries, share them, report bugs and request features, send patches and pull requests.
I understand it. You are not alone, there are millions of such programmers. But please do not tell me that you are passionate about development. Just admit your indifference. In the end, it is not a crime. You do not steal anything (I think you steal - but this is another story).
This is the first reason for neglecting open source projects. However, my opponents most often assert that they do not give a damn - but there is also no way to help. The family absorbs all the free time, and in the office it is simply impossible to work on what lies outside the sphere of the company's interests. I can understand this, but let's look behind the veil of excuses.
You claim that the company is not interested in the development of the industry as a whole, right? It does not allow you to contribute to the work of the open source community. She wants you to use free libraries without giving anything back. And what is this corporate strategy. I strongly doubt it. Did you talk about this topic with the technical director?
I am more than confident that in 95% of cases your supervisor will not mind your contribution to a couple of libraries used in projects, if you explain that it would be good to improve them a little. Worth trying.
Sometimes the boss says that he doesn’t care, and it’s better to focus on your product. I do not know, maybe this is a common practice.
If you do not leave such a company, you accept this position.
In that case, let the philosophical question. You work for such a person, in such a company. You get their salary. Are you not part of this team, do not share such a world view? If you have not yet quit, then obviously accept this attitude. You are part of it. Not only do they not care, you too. It is because of your position that they can remain indifferent.
Tomorrow, if you are asked to use stolen software, you will say that there was no choice: “The manager asked. I am for copyrights and I believe that authors should be paid, but I had to steal it because the company asked. ” Sounds like a good excuse, right?
The same with open source. If you care and have a passion for development, you invest in the development of open source projects or leave a company that does not share your views. What, for some reason you can not quit? Then do not tell me about the hobby. Just admit that you are too weak to follow your passion.
And this is also not a crime. That is your nature and everything.
A source
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/346130/
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