Re: history, vision, and politics

but neither X.Org nor GNOME
will die simply because their Foundations run out of money. (Though their
foundations running out of money may be a sign that so few people use the
technology any more to continue to sustain it.)

-- 
     -Alan Coopersmith- [email protected]
      Sun Microsystems, Inc. - X Window System Engineering

---

I think Alan you're missing Dave's point, perhaps intentionally but anyways you're ignoring it. 

I am speaking about the differece between XF86 and your projects is that XF86 is self-sustaining because it is driven by committment and vision, not dollars and cents. That's what you have to have, and if everyone is there just because they are paid to,  well when the jobs/money stop so does the project.  Even Microsoft has admitted that when the core team of MS execs (Ballmer, Gates a few others) should leave who will continue the fight?  Gates has said on more than one case, He worries about that. With how many billion in the bank, He worries about focus and committment?  

History in tech is littered with failed strategies from bored multi-millionaries
or struggling indigents. Too much money, no committment = looking elsewhere for your kicks.  Too little money, no committment = burnout.  Too much money, lots of committment = squandering of resources but success.  Too little money, lots of committment = eventual hardwon success.

No, in the end History favours the brave, not the bored, not the discouraged,
not the dull.  THe fearless souls who believe in themselves no matter what others tell them.  Of course it helps if they can execute their vision but if they don't have that, then just execution only creates a whirlwind and nothing gets done.  Money helps because hopefully, you can retain focus. 


Companies need (paid) employees to truly believe in their job not just look for the paycheck so they put in that extra push.  That's the  reason you get the 1 on the review and the guy next to you the axe. That's why job enjoyment and value is rated so high, both by companies and employees.  WHen it isn't people look to hobbies to be satisfied & because they are complementing an empty 'job' 
they do it with more gusto that often surprises even themselves.  

I believe it's that last idea, that Dave was hinting towards, and that's what he believes makes XFree86 so powerful   So creative.  So great.  It's that feeling, that zeitgeist, that XFree86 taps into and gives to it's developers, and they in turn give back and so self-perpetuates.  It's the ability to expand and explore their untapped potential, to flourish and see genius that they thought they had but couldn't prove, at least not meaningfully. 

And money can't buy that.  It can stop it (Murphy has already stated the myriad of ways that can happen), but it can't create it.  Not even 2 or more billion.  


G--

_______________________________________________
Join Excite! - http://www.excite.com
The most personalized portal on the Web!