Steve George <steve@futurile.net> writes:
One concern with supporting developers is whether it demotivates them
in the long-term: from intrinsic to extrinisic motivation. Basically,
the answer is that pay doesn't motivate but it does 'enable' for
committed contributors: the Linux foundation survey shows this,
there's also various academic pieces on FOSS motivation.
Paying some people also has the potential of eroding motivation for
those who are not paid.
*Employing* people and having their salaries be paid from donations held
by a foundation is a can of worms that I personally would shy away from
opening. An easier and less daunting way to inject monetary rewards
into volunteer-based activities is to fund awards for certain
accomplishments. This would strip all the complications of employment
and still allow for less desirable work to be rewarded.