"Jeff Rollin" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> posted [EMAIL PROTECTED], excerpted below, on Tue, 07 Nov 2006 13:57:12 +0000:
> I'd like to ask how many Gentoo devs get paid for contributions to Gentoo? > How many of you (paid or non-paid) think MS's threat to sue over patents is > a real danger? No devs get paid directly for working on Gentoo -- they are all volunteers. Having said that, from the remarks of a few devs over time, I believe (a) some devs have the particular job they have in part because they /are/ Gentoo devs, and (b) some devs became devs because they were already using Gentoo on the job and wanted to be able to shape particular packages or projects of interest more directly. As for the patent threat, I think most in the community treat it much like both the US and USSR treated the nuclear threat in the later stages of the cold war. The outcome is so unthinkable, the ability of most individuals to affect whether it happens or not so small, that most folks simply go on doing what they are going to do, and if it happens, well, any survivors will have to figure out how to continue with life at that point. If MS pushes the button, they'll push the button. There's little you or I or most FLOSS community devs can do about it, so it's really not worth worrying about unless or until it happens. Keep a watchful eye and stay informed, sure, but not much else. -- Duncan - List replies preferred. No HTML msgs. "Every nonfree program has a lord, a master -- and if you use the program, he is your master." Richard Stallman -- gentoo-dev@gentoo.org mailing list
