Developers for open source

Infoworld makes the case that open source is constrained not by money but by developers -- people.

This seems a good time to recall some wisdom from the late 1990s. Christine Comaford, a technology pundit of the times, listed four things that techies want:

Lavish, genuine praise
Fun projects to work on and fun tools to work with
Free beer and pizza
Some money
(And look where money is in this list.)

I've taken the liberty of expanding Ms. Comaford's first item with the adjective "genuine".

Open source can learn from this list, and use it to attract and retain developers.

The money is ready. Infoworld admits that funding is available.

Fun projects and fun tools are also available. Open source has plenty of projects. Today's tools are much better than those of 1997.

Keep in mind, in 1997, open source didn't exist like it does today. It was a tiny corner of the IT realm, obscure and unknown to many. The vast majority of development was in corporations or government agencies, with development tied to employment and tools specified by corporate committees.

If open source projects want to attract developers, the two remaining aspects are the place. Free beer and pizza -- substitute soda, juice, fruit, and sandwiches if you want -- and lavish praise.

Praise. Recognition. Credit (as in movie-style credit).

These are mechanisms to entice developers.