Is turnabout fair play? Would he make his next paycheck contingent on whenever he gets around to shipping something useful? The company would pay him when the company benefits from his work--not before.
That's called "piecework", and I suspect he wouldn't go for that kind of deal. I suspect that he wants to get paid regardless of whether he ships or not. Why? Because his mortgage company and his grocery clerk and his power company are peculiarly unresponsive to the suggestion that he only works on "medium to large sized meaningful tasks" for which it is "impossible to produce meaningful estimates".
He is asking for a company to be his patron, with him as the artist. If he can get a job on the basis of the Longflow Manifesto, then more power to him. He's obviously passionate about his craft, and I respect that. Unfortunately, the company has ongoing expenses to pay just like he does, and from his manifesto, I doubt he gives two hoots about that.
We are not playing games here. Money is at the root of every big coding project--the really fun and important stuff, the stuff that makes you grow as a programmer. You want to play in the big leagues with us? Come on up. But I warn you: you must ship.
Of course I want you to learn. Of course I want you to not ship crap. But you and me and everyone else must find a way to do that and SHIP, my friend, and we MUST do it in weeks rather than months. Because that's how the company can survive, compete, and ultimately afford to pay for your chair and your bagel. In the LONG term.
That's called "piecework", and I suspect he wouldn't go for that kind of deal. I suspect that he wants to get paid regardless of whether he ships or not. Why? Because his mortgage company and his grocery clerk and his power company are peculiarly unresponsive to the suggestion that he only works on "medium to large sized meaningful tasks" for which it is "impossible to produce meaningful estimates".
He is asking for a company to be his patron, with him as the artist. If he can get a job on the basis of the Longflow Manifesto, then more power to him. He's obviously passionate about his craft, and I respect that. Unfortunately, the company has ongoing expenses to pay just like he does, and from his manifesto, I doubt he gives two hoots about that.
We are not playing games here. Money is at the root of every big coding project--the really fun and important stuff, the stuff that makes you grow as a programmer. You want to play in the big leagues with us? Come on up. But I warn you: you must ship.
Of course I want you to learn. Of course I want you to not ship crap. But you and me and everyone else must find a way to do that and SHIP, my friend, and we MUST do it in weeks rather than months. Because that's how the company can survive, compete, and ultimately afford to pay for your chair and your bagel. In the LONG term.