[cycomanic]

I find it interesting how in software we excuse behavior that would be completely unacceptable in most other settings, because "that's how companies operate".

I have yet to hear of a McDonald's sending a truck to the nearest soup kitchen and loading all food into it, to sell at the restaurant, because companies "take maximum advantage of any free resource". Well they don't do it, because it's seen as unacceptable. Why do we see it as acceptable in OSS?

[bruce511]

Ar first glance it seems like a good analogy, but it breaks down quickly.

Fundamentally the reason MD doesn't do that is because they don't have what MD want.

Companies are more than willing to exploit free resources whenever it suits them to do so. Dumping pollutants in air and water springs to mind. Leveraging public infrastructure and so on.

If my factory has a lot of trucks coming and going I don't "donate" extra money for road repair.