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Lumifer comments on The Importance of Sidekicks - LessWrong
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Open source projects, especially (or maybe just most saliently for me) software projects, desperately need sidekicks. I write 'desperately' because most such projects die from 'over-forking', i.e. everyone wanting to be the leader (hero) of their own project (adventure).
What I've learned most recently is that being even a moderately competent sidekick is really hard. It takes a lot of work to even be able to contribute without creating lots of extra work for the heroes and their more-devoted sidekicks.
Sidekicks or slave labour?
Please define your terms.
"Slave labour" -- labour that does what it's asked to do without needing any compensation in terms of either money or fame. Sidekicks have been defined elsewhere, but the salient issue is that they need a hero.
The point, of course, has been sharpened.
What is the difference between your definition of "slave labor" and volunteer work?
Volunteers want things :-) Slave labour shuts up and does stuff.