Re: Conflict of interest in Debian
On 10/15/2014 08:02 PM, Marty wrote:
On 10/15/2014 04:19 PM, Ric Moore wrote:
This is fortuitous!
Not a bad gig
at all. I'm sure some soreheads think that we debated WORLD DOMINATION
during lunch, or how to screw over Debian, but sadly we mostly discussed
what was the "Right Thing<tm>"
Do you mean, job-related ethics?
to do there just as we do on this list.
I'm glad you replied because you're just the person to query.
When you discussed job-related ethics at lunchtime, did the subject of
conflict of interest ever come up, regarding voting in Debian?
Debian who??
Ha! We had problems enough that Debian was about the furthest thing from
our minds. When I was there most users were still using modems, and Win
Modems came along to mess with people's minds. "It works under Windows!"
That alone kept us busy.
If it's impossible to imagine, then consider a purely hypothetical case.
A developer is working on a package that could get widespread adoption
within Debian, but some kind of technicality stands in the way,
requiring a vote. As an employee, is there a conflict if he votes? I
know I'm the joker on this list but now I'm serious. <serious smiley
would go here>
We had no votes, except on company picnics and who would go to the
install fests and choosing fun stuff to do. Otherwise, it was indeed a
for-profit and most decisions were top-down. Not down-up.
After all, everyone at RedHat had been a user first, before landing a
paying job.
So, to everyone heaping scorn on RedHat, go here: http://jobs.redhat.com/
So you mean, the place for people with inferiority complexes? :)
Heh, we had every stripe of human beings with assorted behaviors working
there. Back in 1999 we had ties amongst the tie-dyes. If someone got
jerked off, there was a room with pinball machines to reduce stress.
Skateboards and roller blades.
I was 50 and everyone around me was a 20 something. In short, working
there was a ball. As soon as the suits went home at 5, networked Quake
flared up on office desktops like a lit match and it was on. Matthew
Szulik returned one day, after leaving and forgetting something on his
desk, and the whole place sounded like a war zone, as he re-entered.
People yelling over their cubes at who they just fragged with much glee.
The look on his face was priceless. I've never seen a man's jaw drop
that far!
You do have to keep in mind, the devel-uber-geeks have TONS of
intelligence, but are usually short on people skills. So, our job in
Support was to run interference for the devels, translating what they
replied into English ...geek-speak in, people-speak out, to the clients
in response to their problems. But, we sure as hell had no "vote" as to
how all things worked as a company. That is not to say they didn't care
though. People there worked their butts off, because they cared. Getting
paid to do what you care about was a huge plus.
But, I consider it idiotic to bash Red Hat as ~anyone~ with the guts can
do what Bob Young did. Just gather some talented people together around
a kitchen table and create your own distro. That is perfectly legal and
now they are worth billions, by starting exactly from that point. :) Ric
--
My father, Victor Moore (Vic) used to say:
"There are two Great Sins in the world...
..the Sin of Ignorance, and the Sin of Stupidity.
Only the former may be overcome." R.I.P. Dad.
Linux user# 44256
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