[rahelzer]

This is so wrong on so many levels.

1. If it were collective code ownership, there would be collective compensation. But programmers are compensated individually at market prices. Since programmers don't own the profits from the code, Programmers do not own the code.

2. The code is owned by the company. This isn't a Marxist set-up. This is a capitalist set up. The capitalists are the owners. The programmers are not capitalists, i.e. they don't have any capital. They are laborers. They just have their labor.

3. The code is developed in such a way as to minimize costs and maximize profits. The market does not care if the code base is "consistent" or "modular" or anything like that.

4. You may be thinking to yourself that consistent, wonderful code would be the cheapest to write. Not so. Programmers are willing to work overtime, over the weekend, overnight, etc. The reason they are willing to do this is because--as labor--they do not have the power. The capitalists have the power. The programmers must work as hard as is humanly possible, or they will simply be replaced with other programmers who will.

Please actually READ SOME MARX before sounding off as to whether something is marxist or not.