[hcarvalhoalves]

I'm afraid everything desktop Linux, and by extension Gnome, just lost a lot of momentum by developers moving to Apple + web development. Nowadays most focus on open source front seem to be on lower level projects (languages, libraries, servers). FOSS focused on final-user applications remains a niche for academia and developer-centric tools, little has changed compared to what used to be available in the 2000's.

[octotoad]

I've noticed this over the years when reading developer blogs via sites like Planet GNOME.

In the first half of the last decade, there seemed to be highly motivated, talented groups of contributors who helped build and maintain momentum in many popular open source projects like Gnome. I'm not saying there aren't top notch developers still working on FOSS, but many of those big-name 'rockstar' contributors seem to have either been lured to a competing/alternative platform, or just simply lost interest.

I often wonder if age plays an important role, with many former wide-eyed, young, idealistic developers possibly adopting an attitude along the lines of "meh. Maybe I should just buy a Mac and worry less about ideals and philosophies" as they get older and priorities change.

[mseepgood]

> but many of those big-name 'rockstar' contributors seem to have either been lured to a competing/alternative platform

Many have been hired by companies, e.g. Nokia, and now don't want to work for free again.

[ef4]

You seem to imagine that all those contributors were once unemployed. That was never the case.

The typical open source developer has always been either (1) gainfully employed at a programming day job, (2) employed to actually build FOSS, or (3) in academia.

There's at least as much open source development going on now as ever before. It's just that the attention has shifted away from desktop apps.

[vtry]

This, in a Capitalist society where housing and cost of living so high, why would you want to work for free if you can work for money?

Now if we live in a Resource Based Economy, then that is possible, but until then, money is king.

[bkor]

I think you're mixing up things.

I contribute to GNOME, and that is not "working for free". It means having a fun hobby. If I'd get money for it, it would no longer be a hobby, but work. I did hear some people say that their hobby is the same as their work. IMO, work is more restricted (try doing nothing at all for 3 months with your hobby, then repeat for your work).

[pkmays]

Sounds about right. I think a lot of developers buy a MacBook with the intention of dual booting to Linux, but end up just sticking with OSX.

[Tyr42]

Guilty of that here. There isn't much incentive really, other than perhaps getting Xmonad running, and it'll end up with some stuff breaking. I've got a nice bash shell, steam works and I can play portal, and it's good enough.

[NiekvdMaas]

Desktop Linux has not seen growth like Mac OS X in the past few years. Online statistics showing OS browsing data support this, e.g.:

http://gs.statcounter.com/#os-ww-monthly-200807-201207

http://www.w3schools.com/browsers/browsers_os.asp

Of course this does not include Android, or the numbers would look very different.