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by skybrian 2762 days ago
The history of cryptocurrency in particular and business law in general shows that adding money to the system doesn't automatically result in trustworthiness. Even the giant corporations providing cloud computing do decide to abandon products and discontinue services, or dramatically raise prices.

As someone else suggested, maybe the way to go is to rely on foundations. Maybe individuals shouldn't be taking on the burden of maintaining software alone? Maybe JavaScript needs a more slow-moving organization like Debian to handle package integration, with all the bureaucracy that entails?
1 comments
TimJYoung 2762 days ago
Absolutely - adding money doesn't automatically result in trustworthiness. What it does do, however, is make the transaction fall under legal commerce, which gives the purchaser/user rights and remedies that they do not have with free (as in cost) software.

With foundations or any other form of over-arching bureaucracy, you risk stultifying software developers and harming innovation. It's really, really hard to beat the self-organizing aspects of free markets combined with commercial legal frameworks.

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skybrian 2762 days ago
Well okay, but these aren't opposites. Large businesses cooperate internally using bureaucracy. They cooperate externally using (and funding) foundations and other open source work.

There is market demand for stability and it can be a competitive advantage over innovative but unstable alternatives. (Consider why Go and Docker are so popular.)

And why do companies start and fund foundations? Because their customers have doubts. It's better for stability than a market that's not based on standards.

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jammygit 2762 days ago
Do you have any rights with paid devices? A kindle comes with 8 hours, 59 minutes of disclaimers

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxygkyskucA

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