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Message: <blockquote data-quote="resistor" data-source="post: 4747261" data-attributes="member: 9142">I think we fundamentally disagree here.  Lots of people I have worked with on open source project did not do so as a means to any end other than satisfying their desire for software that does X.  As I pointed out above, my job is to write open source software, and I'm only one of a large number at my company, which is itself by no means the largest employer of open source programmers.My company sells services and value-add products.  They pay us open-source-ers to improve the underlying system.  One can certainly imagine a world in which such a business model were true for RPGs.Yes.  So what?  That's part of the reality of open source, for ANY type of media.You and I fundamentally disagree on this point.  Any random student of computer science can knock together something that compiles or runs.  Any who have taken an operating sytems course can put together a kernel that boots.Writing good software is FAR more subjective than you give it credit for.  Otherwise, there would only be One True Open Source Operating System (as opposed to Linux, and FreeBSD, and NetBSD, and OpenBSD, and OpenSolaris, etc.), One True Open Source Desktop Environment (instead of Gnome, and KDE, and XFCE, etc.), One True Open Source Compiler, (instead of GCC, and LLVM, and TinyCC, etc.).Software engineering depends on defining design goals, and working towards them.  Just like designing a good RPG does.Yes, lots of projects will be started than end up completing.  Yes, lots of them will have their goals evolve over time.   BUT THAT'S NOT A BAD THING.  Ultimately, the ones whose goals best match what the audience wants will attract the most like-minded contributors, and thus will become the best developed/most successful.But it does get you Wikipedia.  And lots of other open culture projects.Plus, I think it's disingenuous to claim that 4chan is (a) a bad example, or (b) the only kind of example.On (a), you're making the claim that 4chan is unsuccessful at producing cultural content.  I don't like it, and I assume you don't either, but it obviously serves the goals that the participants want from it, and it's very popular, so I don't think either of us has a leg to stand on to call it "unsuccessful".On (b), you're completely disregarding lots of other Internet fora that are extremely productive.  You might have noticed the The Great Conjunction RPG design contest on these very boards not that long ago, where a decent number of posters came together to write and critique game designs together.  That's productivity.  Even if their style of game doesn't appeal to you, the posters over at The Forge produce LOTS of games, including some very high quality ones.  That's productivity.</blockquote>

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