Andrew Morton, an important figure in the Linux movement, recently worried that more attention needs to be paid to testing to avoid bugs proliferating in the kernel that constitutes the core of Linux.

The report paraphrased his views as "a key challenge is the lack of recognition for people who spend hours testing new kernel releases," then quoted him directly: "'They get no thanks or credit or money ... or anything,' he said."

Morton is the person in charge of maintaining the kernel. I heard him speak last year, and he is impressive: professional, direct, thoughtful. Perhaps these qualities will lead him to reach a daring new conclusion: that people work better if they are compensated, and that "recognition" is not an adequate substitute. As anyone knows who has ever been the pony in a free rider situation, compliments on how hard you are working only add to your irritation at those who loll on the beach while you sweat.

Or perhaps Morton will explain to me again why developers should be happy to work for free so that the founders of Google, which boasts that it runs on Linux, can make billions. I can't seem to get my mind around the concept. In fact, I think a developer spending his free time testing for bugs might feel a tad resentful watching the price of Google stock go up.

Maybe Google could start a program: send the worker ants an email of thanks each time that Google stock goes up. That should do the trick. After all, its "recognition" that counts.

Link from Tony Healy of the Institute for Policy Innovation.

posted by James DeLong @ 8:41 AM | Software

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