They also tend to buy Linux from someone, often MontaVista last I did some Googling long time ago...

The fundamental problem, I think, is that FOSS didn't really take off in Japan the way it did in US/EU, for some reason. There are tons of code-literate engineers but way less who would be sympathetic with developer community building, code sharing, licensing discussions, etc., that are more common in communities from US/EU.

Japan is Japan, most of their history can be summarised as isolationism/NIH.

Software developers are also not seen as "real" engineers there. They're just typing words into a computer, right?

That might explain why their software never took off to the same extent that the US's did, despite having been leaders in the hardware space.

You can of course "just program" the same way you can "just build" a car out of plywood and some electric motors, however the presence of an engineering mindset (and tools/resources) is what separates a fire hazard from a Ferrari.

What exactly separates a fire hazard from a Ferrari? Those vehicles are notoriously unreliable

> There are tons of code-literate engineers but way less who would be sympathetic with developer community building, code sharing, licensing discussions, etc., that are more common in communities from US/EU

I find these cultural differences very interesting. I wonder why it’s that way. I noticed some lower willingness to share work (and any form of bad news) in more competitive societies, but I’m unsure this would be the case.

Culture eats strategy for breakfast