Re: GPL vs. sweatshops (was Re: Bias)

On Tue, Jun 11, 2002 at 12:55:32PM -0400, Deven T. Corzine wrote:

> > The comparison of the GPL to underpaid foreign workers is a false analogy. 
> > Wtih underpaid workers, the workers work for low pay because they have no
> > better choice.  With GPL projects, the workers are volunteers.  I don't think
> > I'd want a society that says I can't do volunteer work because it might
> > endanger a company's profits.

> What happens if someday the GPL becomes dominant and low-paying programming 
> jobs are the only kind left?  If all the high-paying ones are gone because 
> the GPL killed the revenue streams that made them possible?  At that point, 
> it's hard to call it voluntary.

Do you have hard numbers to show that programmers who work on proprietary
software are better compensated than those that work on Open Source
software?  For that matter, do you have any evidence that Open Source
programmers are *undercompensated* by any standard?  If not, then any
difference in income levels can only be attributed to market inequalities.
I find it hard to seriously entertain the argument that the GPL is bad
because it eliminates market imbalances.  More importantly, without real
numbers, this is all nothing more than FUD.

I think this list has outlived its usefulness.  It was created for
discussion of concrete licensing issues regarding Wine, not as a forum for
people going through crises of GPL faith.  Since I haven't seen any
relevant discussion here for a long time, I'm unsubscribing shortly.

Steve Langasek
postmodern programmer