>>> How much did Linux creators get paid for their great work?
I don't know how much Linus, Red Hat, or Caldera make. Nor the average of the rest who contribute code while doing Linux and Windows contract programming and the like for income. Sorry. But I think they are making a living. I'm sorry that your definition of success is so strictly based on the dollar value, though that is standard stuff for the suits in the software business.
How much do MSFT programmers get paid compared to Bill? The ones you hired yesterday?
>>> Under your logic, only a handful of project architectures and designers can be called "Real programmers".
According to who? You?
>>> Yeh, I am out of your "artists", "Real programmers" group.
The way you speak about software already gave that away.
>>> What innovation have you done?
Well, I worked on the first computerized system for ICU heart monitoring. Never made any money other than salary on it, though I think the patients whose in-hospital secondary attacks were anticipated don't care what I made.
I worked on the first large multiterminal system, and wrote code that went into OS/DOS. Didn't get rich, but I made a living.
I also wrote the best selling C64 game of 1985. Didn't ever get paid the royalties by the suits at the game company, so there's another failure by your definition. Being the sucker that I am, I was happy just to see my title on the shelves at B. Dalton.
Et Cetera. 2 dozen titles, many other apps, in the case of most of which some suit I had never met until the first successful tests went to the trade shows and declared victory for themselves in front of the product. Ah well, I'm such a bad negotiator. Still, I've made a personal contribution and taken care of those close to me.
I think that if I didn't have to contend with the incompetent IS suits, the "take no prisoners" marketing types, and a thousand thousand MSFT droids, I might have gotten ten times as much done. And I still might only have made a good middle class living doing it. Who would be/will be crying most in the freeware/shareware/transparent distribution scenario: Me, the customer, or the fine young cannibals at MSFT?
Cheers,
Chaz |
