Free?

[Daniel Gibson]

Am 24.10.2011 02:35, schrieb Chante:
> "Daniel Gibson" <metalcaedes at gmail.com> wrote in message 
> news:j822kv$7jf$2 at digitalmars.com...
>>
>> I've never read a job description that said "we want a programmer that
>> has no job experience and has not touched GPL code either".
> 
> While such a "concept" may be new to you, it is not to me. If I'm the 
> first to say it, maybe some who are not yet "tainted" will see it as a 
> differentiator and/or a way forward. Surely, if I had the funds to hire 
> programmers, the role description would be something like you stated 
> above.

This would exclude many talented programmers - which are hard enough to
find without restrictions like that.
How is someone going to get experience without working with foreign code?
Reading books on programming and also exhibits you to foreign code (that
often doesn't even have an implicit license but only the license of the
whole book that is basically "don't copy at all").

> The ideal, for me, is 
> allying with others who are also not "tainted". 

i.e. people without any experience.

>> But I'd be interested in the opinions of other people in this newsgroup
>> who earn money with software development (or have done so in the past):
>> Have you ever experienced exposure to GPL'ed or proprietary software as
>> a hindrance for a job?
>> Is the opposite true - Open Source commitment (GPL or otherwise) is a
>> bonus in ones resume that increases the chances of being hired?
>> (Or both - "depends on the job"?)
> 
> "Job" is but one thing, freedom is another. 

Not getting contact with any "tainted" source code (like the DMD
frontend, btw) doesn't seem like freedom to me.

> "Job" may be the only option 
> once one becomes "tainted". Surely one cannot say "clean room" 
> development for a product they offer from their own company once they 
> have exposed themselves, unknowingly or not, to viral source code or 
> another company's source code.

So you're gonna start your own company without any prior professional
experience and without looking at most (?) open source code and you'll
only hire people that also have no experience? Good luck with that.

I don't see the value of "untainted" code per your definition.
Of course you don't want to break copyright by mixing in code that you
may not mix in (because of incompatible licenses or whatever), but this
much paranoia is not needed and not feasible.

And if somebody claims you stole their code they don't *have* to believe
you if you say "I've never seen it", so in the end facts - or maybe some
incompetent judge or jury - will decide.
Or are you gonna breed you own programmers that are (from childhood on!)
guaranteed to not have any exposure to "tainted" code by locking them up
without any contact to the rest of the world (including yourself,
because you can't guarantee that you're not tainted)?

Cheers,
- Daniel