Re: when companies join over free software projects

[Maciej Stachowiak <mjs eazel com>]

OK, let us skip the he said/she said. The process was not perfect - I
actually pushed for Eazel to introduce itself to the community for
quite some time before we did, but I can understand the initial
apprehension.

Mark Galassi <rosalia@galassi.org> writes:

> Still, Maciej, aside from the (kindly) "attack" on Eazel and Helix
> Code, what do you think of the idea that companies should let their
> hackers participate in GNOME as if the companies did not exist?
> 

Well, it's obviously not possible for them to let _all_ their hackers
to do this, since Eazel and Helix both need to make money to keep
paying their hackers. And often the ways in which they seek to improve
GNOME are at least somewhat in-line with their business goals. For
example, while Eazel pays me to hack on Nautilus and other packages
primarily because we want to base a business on it, I'm confident that
what I am doing is also to the benefit of GNOME at large. 

It might be good for each company to try declare some of their people
at-large hackers; but even so, it will be difficult not to be
influenced by the goals of the company; both Helix and Eazel are still
fairly small startups, and the employees doubtless cannot help but
make it a high priority to make their respective companies succeed,
even if only subconsciously.

I do think you do raise some important points in general - we must be
vigilant and ensure that GNOME does not lose it's nature. I'm just not
sure that giving some hackers free reign is the best way to get there
right now.

 - Maciej