[thisrod]

The programs on Github were written by amateurs. Professionals can do better - compare Python, PHP and Gnuplot to Mozilla, Scheme, Haskell, Plan 9 and Mathematica. But evidently people can keep their day jobs and still write good programs.

Science is different. The amateurs are called cranks, and a small community of professionals does the good stuff. (There are exceptions, but few.) The basic issue is who will pay their living expenses, and buy the million dollar machines that they work on.

These days, almost all research money is spent by governments. They spend most of it rewarding people for publishing in prestigious journals. Scientists will keep packaging their research that way until someone starts buying it in a different package.

[SoftwareMaven]

Most of the interesting projects on Github were written by professionals and are far better quality than the average "professional" day-job application because it is a developer's passion and not constrained by business development.

I do not believe open source solves all problems, but you dismiss the incredible value and quality of so much that I find it difficult to take the rest of the comment seriously.

It sounds more like "People with credentials (whether scientists or professional programmers) are the only people who can produce quality work. I have credentials. I'm part of the elite who can do quality work."

[stewbrew]

You're mixing language definitions and implementations. You're comparing software that was created by big companies with software created by small teams or single developers. I think good commenters can do better.

BTW you're implying governments are funding over-priced journals people outside of prestigious institutions cannot afford. Even though that's true it's not the way it should be.