These same open source projects are also completely decentralized, some having thousands of developers from all over the world and none are getting paid.
Don't give me that crap. People are paid to work on linux, firefox, apache, and any number of large open soruce projects. In fact, some projects are responsible for the livelihood of developers, such as ruby on rails.
I also get paid to work on one open source project. But I get paid by a company (for which I also do other activities), who want someone to defend their interests in this project. That's all open and transparent.
That is very different from a foundation paying a dev, with this foundation being paid by "members", whose main contributors and board members happen to be... companies that have an interest in the development.
It is not open and tranaparent anymore. Is gavin making code that
he wants to make? If he making code that
the foundation wants him to make? Is he making code that a specific part of the board of the foundation wants him to make?
Why shouldn't it be the same with bitcoin, in which their whole points is to support commercial activity!?
Is it? None of the foundations three "missions" are aimed at that though. Not officially at least. I agree that unofficially they *will* be aimed at that of course. And whose commercial activities are they likely to support best you think? Yours? Mine? Or maybe MtGox's? And Bitinstant's?
You think those linux foundation members are doing nefarious things? I am sure that they are getting some "financial gains" from funding Linus' works.
I don't know. I'm not involved in it. But if I wanted to be involved in it, I'd first check to make sure no companies that have a financial gain (or loss) depending on the direction linux is headed are paying its core devs through the foundation while being in the board if this foundation themselves.
If you want to fix under-representation in an organization, you fix it by joining it as a member so that you are represented.
If you want an organization that is not under-represented in some areas, then set it up in a way that supports and stimulates that.
