In message <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, Bert Van Vreckem <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes
Bernard Hill wrote:
In message <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, A.M. Kuchling <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes
* Programming is fun.
Not when you do it for a living.
Good grief! How can you possibly do something for a living that you don't like to do?
"Fun" was the word. Not "enjoy".
When you *have* to do it to make ends meet it takes the fun out of it. Ask anyone who has turned a hobby into a living.
Well, here I am. I've been programming for fun since I was 12 or so and when I graduated (Computer Science, that figures), I started working as a Java developer in a software company. I thoroughly enjoyed my work there (okay, except maybe on the days when deadlines were coming closer and I was hunting down some bloody annoying bugs). I often asked myself how it was possible for anyone to have so much fun and actually being payed for it (quite well, too, in those 'new economy- days). Now I'm a CS lecturer, and my feelings about this job are the same.
When I did something else for a living in the evenings I wrote software because I enjoyed the fun of doing so.
Now in the evenings I don't write software for fun. I join in musical activities instead.
Same here, mate! I don't have time to write software in my free time. My motivation to release any software that I should write as open source is:
- Almost all the software I use is open source, written by people that gave it away for whatever reason. By giving away, I can return the favour.
- I enjoy being able to help out people.
- Money is not an issue for me, because ("AHA! Didn't I say so?", I can hear you say ;-)) I have a job and I get payed.
But as far as not enjoying your work, my father once said to me "Son, if you enjoy 25% of the work you do you are a very lucky man".
Well, I've always considered myself an *extremely* lucky man, so there you go...
However, I do understand your point of view. You wrote the software and you have every right to release it under any condition you choose and to charge for your hard work.
Cheers,
bert
-- Bert Van Vreckem <http://flanders.blackmill.net/> Not all chemicals are bad. Without chemicals such as hydrogen and oxygen, for example, there would be no way to make water, a vital ingredient in beer. -- Dave Barry
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