Comment by vfclists
Rewrite of https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41591692
To summarize the programming toolsets used in open source are not the kind that hobbyists and volunteers should be using, that is why I mentioned the use of Lisp and other higher level languages compared to C and C++. If you are going to write non-trivial programs and utilities in C and C++ then you should absolutely be paid for it.
Most of the people burned out developing for Linux should focus on a cut down system developed for end users and small businesses in mind.
You clearly haven't heard those jokes about C and C++ have you?
You are talking about unpaid people using the wrong languages to do difficult things and that never works.
http://harmful.cat-v.org/software/c++/I_did_it_for_you_all
The Unix Haters Handbook
http://harmful.cat-v.org/software/c++/linus
http://harmful.cat-v.org/software/c++/
Not only that the industry ignores the foundations and principles of correct and sound programming in low level programming languages like C and C++ which makes things even worse.
Going back to the start Linux did not start of with an intention to be an operating system developed for enterprise users.
Commercial interests took it over and decided to go with it. The simple truth is unpaid hobbyists and hackers should not be involved in the development of enterprise operating systems. Windows NT was not developed by unpaid hackers. Why should that apply to Linux? Unix was developed by corporate employees, and it is only when the GNU project decided to replicate the toolsets it used that Linus decided to build a kernel of his own, after which corporations jumped on it because of the GPL.
Those days are long gone and hobbyists and part timers shouldn't be really involved. It is OK to write and develop programs to gain a sense of achievement and pride from them, but when the need to maintain it kicks in that is when it all starts to south.
Their involvement should on simple utilities for end users. That is what free software development which is not well remunerated should focus on.
So besides not paying people you depend on you also want to tell them what programming languages to use?