Re:Debian project has plenty of money but not enough developers
by GuB-42 on Friday September 11, 2020 @10:09AM
(#24443000)
The big difference is subordination.
A volunteer gets to choose what he wants to work on and if he wants to work at all. An employee/contractor does what his boss/customer wants him to do and get compensated (i.e. paid) for it.
There are many reasons why you may want to pay someone. The obvious one is to do things no one wants to do for free.
But maybe you also want a proper contract, to make sure some essential job is done fully. Volunteers who work on they spare time will stop working for you once they stop having spare time, and there is not much you can do about it, both legally and ethically.
Sometimes you also need certifications. I don't know how it applies to Debian but certified people usually don't work for free. The certification process can be expensive and they can have legal responsibilities. Even if people can offer their time and skills for free, legal responsibilities are usually off limits.
As an example, I volunteered to staff a few events. None of the regular staff and organizers were paid. However, security was paid. While we had a few burly guys, no one wanted to take responsibility, and probably couldn't anyways.
A volunteer gets to choose what he wants to work on and if he wants to work at all. An employee/contractor does what his boss/customer wants him to do and get compensated (i.e. paid) for it.
There are many reasons why you may want to pay someone. The obvious one is to do things no one wants to do for free.
But maybe you also want a proper contract, to make sure some essential job is done fully. Volunteers who work on they spare time will stop working for you once they stop having spare time, and there is not much you can do about it, both legally and ethically.
Sometimes you also need certifications. I don't know how it applies to Debian but certified people usually don't work for free. The certification process can be expensive and they can have legal responsibilities. Even if people can offer their time and skills for free, legal responsibilities are usually off limits.
As an example, I volunteered to staff a few events. None of the regular staff and organizers were paid. However, security was paid. While we had a few burly guys, no one wanted to take responsibility, and probably couldn't anyways.