Why do alot people don't believe that there are free stuffs in this world?

[Sun Baked]

Disagree. Hookers with STIs are an immediate discount. You pay later though for the antibiotics and antivirals, depending on luck.

Oh well, guess I was wrong, I thought it cost a lot more for going condom free.

 

[0098386]

In the words of a great philospher "TANSTAAFL".

As an example.... The coder who is putting out 'free' open source software is doing so instead of a) spending time with their family b) working a paying job c) going back to school to upgrade their skills

I don't agree with that. At the time (8-13 years old) I wasn't eligible for work. Again it was also a hobby, meaning it was a fun passtime for me just like how regular people watch TV or go to the pub. That was before I had the internet and couldn't distribute the games/apps outside of my own school.
Think of it as a replacement to other passtimes rather than something that gets in the way, which is the image you're painting.

The same can be said for a friend of mine who loves animals, so she volunteers at shelters and such for fun. She doesn't expect nor want payment but she gains the experience as if it was a job (which is valuable) which would then enhance her application to any employer in the future.

 

[benthewraith]

Oh well, guess I was wrong, I thought it cost a lot more for going condom free.

Skin-to-skin contact viruses bypass the condom barrier and saliva does carry HIV. Although the chances of catching HIV in saliva is extremely low. Probably costs extra if the hooker is clean rather than dirty. Although to be fair, they may try and charge extra to pay their own medical expenses.

 

[PerfSeeker]

Heck even clean air is not a given for most people. If you want that, you have either:

* go live in the sticks and be very poor
* live in upscale neighborhoods where the air is cleaner

 

[snberk103]

I don't agree with that. At the time (8-13 years old) I wasn't eligible for work. Again it was also a hobby, meaning it was a fun passtime for me just like how regular people watch TV or go to the pub. That was before I had the internet and couldn't distribute the games/apps outside of my own school.
Think of it as a replacement to other passtimes rather than something that gets in the way, which is the image you're painting.

The same can be said for a friend of mine who loves animals, so she volunteers at shelters and such for fun. She doesn't expect nor want payment but she gains the experience as if it was a job (which is valuable) which would then enhance her application to any employer in the future.

OK - I just want to be clear. I am not saying it was "good" or "bad", or that I was for or against it.... that is judgement, and is personal, and while I would be happy to debate the merits of doing work for 'free' (or the penalties).... that would be for a different thread. I am merely trying to say that nothing is truly 'free' - that there is a cost involved. My examples tried to put a monetary cost, because that is what we are accustomed to measuring.

In your example.... you were coding for 'free' because you were not able to be paid to do it. However, you were inside coding (a sedentary activity) instead of outside getting exercise. The 'cost' of doing the 'free' work may be that you are not as healthy as you would have been otherwise (I don't know your particular situation, so please take this as a hypothetical case). There are of course monetary costs to not being as healthy. (And 'health' is not just measured in whether you are fit or not. There is a lot of evidence now that many adult allergies are formed in childhood because kids are not exposed to the 'dirt' of outside. Their immune systems are not fully developed during childhood because the kids are too clean, and it later comes back to haunt them with allergic reaactions).

Your friend who works at the shelter is another example.... it costs her time. She feels that the time spent is worth it.... but it is still a cost. Again, I am not arguing that what she is doing is wrong or right.... that is a judgement for her, and whether she feels that the time she spends not getting paid is worthwhile for her. But.... it is not free. The shelter doesn't get free labour either. There is an insurance premium that costs money. There are training costs, there are other costs involved... but, they obviously feel that the value your friend brings is worth the cost. In this case, the 'cost' is less than 'value added'. Everybody is happy (except the tax people, who would wish that some sort of tax was able to be levied - another cost).

 

[LethalWolfe]

I don't agree with that. At the time (8-13 years old) I wasn't eligible for work. Again it was also a hobby, meaning it was a fun passtime for me just like how regular people watch TV or go to the pub. That was before I had the internet and couldn't distribute the games/apps outside of my own school.

Someone had to pay for the computer, the electricity to run it, etc.,. Your parents, presumably, paid for your food, clothing and shelter which means you had time to create software on the school's(?) computer instead of having to go out and provide for yourself. There are direct and indirect costs associated with it whether or not you decide to charge for the programs that you made.

There have been many times I've volunteered my professional services and that doesn't mean my services suddenly have no costs associated with them it just means that I choose to absorb those costs myself and not pass them along to the client.


Lethal