Adding a prize stops progress

OSx86 Project: “It’s all quite predictable – nothing is getting done because the sharing of information has stopped. Were there no contest, IRC channels would be full of dedicated developers sharing what they’d learned through trial and error, swapping ideas and encouraging each other. I’ve talked with some people who are very close to success… but their efforts are not public. As it stands, sharing what you’ve learned could cost you $12,000.”

It’s logical, and very interesting. I’ve long been fascinated with and involved in open source software, and there’s just so much more and better progress when knowledge is shared. Like we experienced it back in the Age of Enlightenment. (Via TUAW)