Tim Braye has a very interesting piece on OS software development, basically asking developers to respond to the simple question, “Are you a sharecropper?”.

What is a sharecropper?  Tim provides the following definition:

A farmer who works a farm owned by someone else. The owner provides the land, seed, and tools exchange for part of the crops and goods produced on the farm.

It’s a lousy position to be in, because you’re never going to make much, and if the land’s owner finds something better to do with the land, you’re history.