Re: Discussion on Guix funding // future

[Ricardo Wurmus]

Steve George <steve@futurile.net> writes:

> On 25 Oct, Ricardo Wurmus wrote:
>> 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.
> (...)
>
> Yes, I've heard this concern both in other FOSS communities and in Guix.
>
> I actually haven't see any evidence that this is the case. Maybe you have?

I have not personally observed this in communities like ours, but I'm
not particularly perceptive and more importantly lack experience with
other communities resembling ours, so this isn't saying much.

I only know of studies of traditional "workplace" environments
(for-profit and non-profit), where wage equity and a perception of
fairness in terms of co-worker wages have a much stronger impact on
employee satisfaction and extrinsic motivation than the absolute value
of remuneration.  A stronger preference for perceived fairness with
respect to peer wages has been observed in non-profits where the level
and importance of intrinsic motivation is assumed to be higher than in
for-profit environments.

It is not clear whether these findings are applicable to our loose
organizational structure, but I found it worth mentioning.

> If there were more developers
> able to sustain their efforts on Guix, I'd personally be happy for
> them.

I would, too.

-- 
Ricardo