OSes aren't free, and never will be

I've just got to weigh in on this issue. Either that, or I'll burst at the seams for keeping it in -- and we know that's not what I do, either the bursting or keeping things in.

Operating systems aren't free (hereafter, as-in-beer not as-in-speech): Since they require people to maintain them, and since those people need to eat and live, and since basic needs usually require money, there's no way that dedicated linux kernel engineers can survive while linux is free.

Most of these people are supported by other companies, and either get paid (today) to work on linux or they do so oin their off-work time. Considering that most people work full-time, any extra time spent on other projects really is above and beyond the time that a person can spend doing this kind of work without slow degradation in performance and health. Thus, a person is either compensated (QED) or will eventually be fired for declining performance.

There's money in the equation, and we need to realize it.