Software is knowledge, but let's just ignore the software side for a moment, just because I don't need it to prove my point.
Let's just take myself. I have gone to Wikipedia articles and read articles about things I understand completely, and I've taken four years of university. That ought to be close enough to your five, wouldn't you say? I didn't correct anything because I didn't find anything wrong.
Second, Usenet has FAQs that are written by volunteers. Would those qualify?
Third, how about all the information available on the WWW that is posted gratis. Consider, for example, MIT's move to put all its courses online, freely available to anyone. Why is MIT doing this? They aren't getting any money out of it. In fact, it costs them money for hosting.
Fourth, what about the myriad academic papers posted on the internet or that are made freely available in whatever form? Are those people not sharing knowledge freely?
Your view is rather simplistic. There are many motivations besides money. Many people find generosity rewarding in itself, and others do it for reputation. Other people may find such things useful and want to give something back. There are yet more reasons; money is not the only one. |
