SNIP
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>I think the flaw here is that if open source is free, then there is no way to compensate programmers for their time. Only a small minority of programmers have the will and the time to do unpaid programming. Therefore the system will break down. I think _if_ people start to pay for open source software, then it can continue to evolve, otherwise it will eventually whither.
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SNIP

Evan,

25+ years ago, when IBM ruled the world of 'data processing' and ALL software was proprietary there were programmers even then who were modifying the source and freely distributing it. The source was provided because, often, the only way you could get by a bug promptly was to do it yourself and then wait for the 'official' fix later (often your own, sanctified).
The most common code was a gem called "HASP". Virtually every shop used it and since it was totally concerned with the the human/machine interface it was a prime candidate for optimization. This would typically include better ways to schedule/control print jobs, better ways to control/interrogate running/queued jobs, especially across multiple loosely-coupled systems and lots of other things that affected manpower or service quality/speed.

It was very common for a shop to feel a 'problem' (not a bug, but just a poor way of getting something done) particularly acutely so they would assign programmers to implement alternatives into the code.
In those days there were 4 annual general meeting (2 of each called GUIDE and SHARE) and interim meeting held by chairs of working committees.
At those meetings people who had developed alternatives would present their changes or otherwise make their mods known. SHARE, in particular, was a clearing house for such code.

I think it is reasonable, in an OPEN SOURCE world, to expect exactly the same kind of resolution to problems - a manager will see a problem, dream up a solution, have it implemented, and not hesitate to spread it around.
In other words, there can still be plenty of programmers being paid plenty in an open-source world.

Of course this is a totally impossible situation in the private source world.

Jim