1. Surprised By Wealth
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1. P°ekvapen bohatstvφm
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A few hours ago, I learned that I am now (at least in theory) absurdly rich.
| P°ed n∞kolika hodinami jsem se dozv∞d∞l, ╛e jsem (alespo≥ teoreticky), absurdn∞ bohat². |
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I was at my machine, hacking, when I got email congratulating me on the
success of the VA Linux Systems IPO. I was working on my latest small
project -- a compiler for a special-purpose language I've designed called
Scriptable Network Graphics, or SNG. SNG is an editable representation
of the chunk data in a PNG. What I'm writing is a compiler/decompiler
pair, so you can dump PNGs in SNG, edit the SNG, then recompile to a
PNG image.
| Prßv∞ jsem sed∞l u poΦφtaΦe, kdy╛ jsem dostal e-mail s blahop°ßnφm k ·sp∞chu akciφ VA Linux Systems. Prßv∞ jsem pracoval na svΘm poslednφm men╣φm projektu, na kompileru ke specißlnφmu jazyku Scriptable Network Graphics (SNG, skriptovacφ sφ╗ovß grafika), kter² jsem sßm navrhl. SNG umo╛≥uje psßt skripty, kterΘ mohou upravovat Φßsti dat v PNG. Pφ╣i tu Φßst, kterß mß na starost kompilaci/dekompilaci. S jejφ pomocφ bude mo╛nΘ p°evΘst PNG do SNG, editovat SNG, a potΘ vytvo°it upraven² PNG obrßzek. |
| "Congratulations? That's interesting," said I to myself. "I didn't think we
were going out till tomorrow." And I oughtta know; I'm on VA's Board of
Directors, recruited by Larry Augustin himself to be VA's official corporate
conscience, and it's a matter of public record that I hold a substantial share
in the company. I tooled on over to Linux Today, chased a link -- and
discovered that Larry Augustin had taken the fast option we discussed
during the last Board conference call. VA had indeed gone out on
NASDAQ -- and I had become worth approximately forty-one million
dollars while I wasn't looking.
| "Blahop°ßnφ? To je zajφmavΘ", °ekl jsem si. "Jß myslel, ╛e se v╣e rozb∞hne a╛ zφtra". A jß bych to m∞l v∞d∞t. Jsem Φlenem sprßvnφ rady, do kterΘ jsem byl navr╛en samotn²m Larry Augustinem, a ve kterΘ mßm hrßt roli oficißlnφho sv∞domφ spoleΦnosti a mßm rovn∞╛ v²znamn² podφl na akciφch spoleΦnosti. Podφval jsem se na Linux Today a zjisil jsem, ╛e se Larry Augustin rozhodl zvolit nejrychlej╣φ cestu, tu, o kterΘ jsme diskutovali na poslednφm zasedßnφ. VA Linux skuteΦn∞ vstoupil na burzu a jß m∞l najednou cenu 41 000 000 dolar∙, ani╛ jß sßm o tom v∞d∞l. |
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Well, that didn't last long. In the next two hours, VA dropped from $274 a
share to close at $239, leaving me with a stake of only thirty-six million
dollars. Which is still a preposterously large amount of money.
| Je pravda, ╛e to netrvalo dlouho. B∞hem n∞kolika hodin VA poklesl z $247 a uzav°el na $239, tak╛e mi zbylo pouh²ch $36 000 000. Co╛ je ov╣em stßle po°ßdn² balφk. |
| You may wonder why I am talking about this in public. The first piece of
advice your friends and family will give you, if it looks like you're about to
become really wealthy, is: keep it quiet. It's nobody else's business -- you
don't want to look like you're gloating, and you don't want to be deluged
with an endless succession of charity appeals, business propositions,
long-lost best friends, and plain bald-faced mooching.
| Mo╛nß se divφte, proΦ o tom tak ve°ejn∞ hovo°φm. Prvnφ rada, kterou vßm dajφ va╣i p°ßtelΘ a rodina, pokud se stanete opravdu bohatφ je: mlΦ. Nikomu do toho nic nenφ, nechce╣ p°ece, aby to vypadalo, ╛e se vystavuje╣ na obdiv a takΘ nechce╣ b²t pronßsledovßn nekoneΦn²m zßstupem r∙zn²ch charit, obchodnφch nßvrh∙, dlouho ztracen²ch nejlep╣φch p°ßtel a oΦividn²ch ╛ebrßk∙. |
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Trouble with the "keep it quiet" theory is that I've made my bucks in a very
public way. When you're already a media figure, and your name is on the
S-1 of a hot IPO, and email from friends and journalists starts coming in
like crazy as the stock breaks first-day-gain records, playing it coy swiftly
ceases to look like a viable option.
| Potφ╛ s touto strategφφ spoΦφvß v tom, ╛e jß si tuto sumu vyd∞lal velmi ve°ejn²m zp∙sobem. Pokud jste znßmß postava a va╣e jmΘno se ocitne na seznamu velmi ·sp∞╣nΘ firmy, dostanete zßplavu dopis∙ od p°ßtel a novinß°∙ v okam╛iku, kdy akcie zaΦnou stoupat jako ╣φlenΘ a tak p°estane b²t mo╛nΘ zahrßvat v╣e do kouta. |
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Besides, it wouldn't be fair to dissemble. I serve a community. I'm wealthy
today because my efforts to spread the idea of open source on behalf of
that community helped galvanize the business world, and earned the respect
and the trust of a lot of hackers. Larry thought that respect was an asset
worth shelling out 150,000 shares of VA for. Fairness to the hackers who
made me bankable demands that I publicly acknowledge this result -- and
publicly face the question of how it's going to affect my life and what I'll do
with the money.
| Krom∞ toho by to nebylo ΦestnΘ. Jß slou╛φm svΘmu spoleΦenstvφ. Jß jsem dnes velmi bohat² proto, ╛e moje ·silφ o roz╣φ°enφ my╣lenek otev°enΘho software jmΘnem celΘho spoleΦenstvφ pomohlo rozh²bat obchodnφ sv∞t, a tφm jsem tak zφskal respekt a d∙v∞ru mnoha hacker∙. Larry si myslel, ╛e tento respekt mß takovou hodnotu, ╛e se za n∞j vyplatφ nabφdnout 150 000 akciφ VA. ╚estn∞ se zachovat v∙Φi hacker∙m, kte°φ ze mne ud∞lali bohßΦe vy╛aduje, abych se ke v╣emu vyjßd°il ve°ejn∞ a abych ve°ejn∞ vyjevil, jak se tφm ovlivnφ m∙j ╛ivot a co budu s t∞mi pen∞zi d∞lat . |
| This is a question that a lot of us will be facing as open source sweeps the
technology landscape. Money follows where value leads, and the
mainstream business and finance world is seeing increasing value in our
tribe of scruffy hackers. Red Hat and VA have created a precedent now,
with their directed-shares programs designed to reward as many individual
contributors as they can identify; future players aiming for community
backing and a seat at the high table will have to follow suit. In this and other
ways (including, for example, task markets) the wealth is going to be
shared.
| Tohle je otßzka, kterΘ bude v tΘto dob∞ Φelit mnoho z nßs, nynφ, kdy se otev°en² software valφ technologickou krajinou. Penφze jdou tam, kde cφtφ hodnotu a nejd∙le╛it∞j╣φ sektory pr∙myslu a sv∞t financφ nachßzφ stßle vy╣╣φ hodnotu v na╣em hackerskΘm kmeni. Snaha spoleΦnostφ Red Hat a VA Linux odm∞nit tak mnoho individußlnφch p°isp∞vatel∙, kolik jich jen dokß╛φ identifikovat, vytvo°ila precedens. Dal╣φ hrßΦi v tΘto oblasti hledajφcφ podporu u ve°ejnosti se snahou ocitnout se na v²slunφ budou muset nßsledovat v jejich stopßch. Tφmto a dal╣φmi zp∙soby bude bohatstvφ sdφleno. |
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So while there aren't likely to be a lot more multimillion-dollar bonanzas like
mine, lots of hackers are going to have to evolve answers to this question
for smaller amounts that will nevertheless make a big difference to
individuals; tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars, enough to change
your life -- or wreck it.
| Tak╛e i kdy╛ mnoho multimilionß°sk²ch nabob∙ jako jsem jß nebude, mnoho hacker∙ bude muset nalΘzt odpov∞∩ na tuto otßzku kv∙li men╣φm sumßm pen∞z, kterΘ v╣ak budou stßle pro jednotlivce velmi v²znamnΘ. Desφtky nebo stovky tisφc dolar∙, to staΦφ na zm∞nu, nebo zniΦenφ, va╣eho ╛ivota. |
| (Gee. Remember when the big question was "How do we make money at
this?")
| (Pamatujete si na kdysi v²znamnou otßzku: "Jak si p°i tΘto prßci m∙╛eme vyd∞lat penφze?) |
| The first part of my answer is "I'll do nothing, until next June". Because I'm
a VA board member, under SEC regulations there's a six-month lockout
on the shares (a regulation designed to keep people from floating bogus
offerings, cashing out, and skipping to Argentina before the share price
crashes). So it's not strictly true that I'm wealthy right now. I will be wealthy
in six months, unless VA or the U.S. economy craters before then. I'll bet
on VA; I'm not so sure about the U.S. economy :-).
| Prvnφ Φßst mojφ odpov∞di znφ: "Nebudu d∞lat nic a╛ do p°φ╣tφho Φervna". Proto╛e jsem Φlenem sprßvnφ rady VA Linux, podle regulace SEC nemohu po ╣est m∞sφc∙ se sv²mi akciemi obchodovat (tato regulace mß za ·kol ochrßnit p°ed nebezpeΦφm, ╛e n∞kte°φ lidΘ nafouknou bublinu oΦekßvßnφ, rychle vyberou zisk a potΘ uteΦou do Argentiny d°φve, ne╛ celß bublina praskne). Tak╛e nenφ ·pln∞ pravda, ╛e jsem momentßln∞ bohat². Budu bohat² za 6 m∞sφc∙, pokud p°ed tφm VA Linux nebo USA nezkolabujφ. Na VA si klidn∞ vsadφm, s ekonomikou USA si u╛ tak jist² nejsem :-). |
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Assuming the economy does not in fact crater, how is wealth going to affect
my life in six months? Honestly, I think the answer is "not much". I haven't
spent the last fifteen years doing the open-source thing for the money. I'm
already living pretty much exactly the way I want to, doing the work that
matters to me. The biggest difference the money will make to me personally
is that now I should be able to keep doing what I love for the rest of my life
without worrying about money ever again.
| Pokud se tedy ekonomika nezhroutφ, jak toto bohatstvφ ovlivnφ m∙j ╛ivot? Up°φmn∞ °eΦeno, myslφm si, ╛e p°φli╣ ne. Nepracoval jsem poslednφch 15 let na otev°enΘm software proto, abych si vyd∞lal penφze. Ji╛ nynφ ╛iji celkem tak, jak chci ╛φt i dßl, tedy d∞lat prßci, kterß mne bavφ. Nejv∞t╣φ rozdφl, kter² pro mne penφze p°inesou je to, ╛e se a╛ do konce ╛ivota budu moci zab²vat v∞cmi, kterΘ mne bavφ a nebudu se muset starat o penφze. |
| So I expect I'll just keep on as I've been doing. Hacking code. Thinking
and spreading subversive thoughts. Traveling and giving talks. Writing
papers. Poking various evil empires a good one in the eye whenever I get a
chance. Working for freedom.
| Tak╛e si myslφm, ╛e budu pokraΦovat v tom, co d∞lßm u╛ te∩. Budu si hrßt s k≤dem. Budu p°em²╣let a roz╣i°ovat podvratnΘ my╣lenky. Bud cestovat a p°ednß╣et. Budu psßt Φlßnky. Budu rozdßvat rßny p∞stφ °φ╣φm zla, kdykoliv to bude mo╛nΘ. Budu pracovat pro svobodu. |
| I expect most other hackers confronted with sudden wealth will make
similar choices. Reporters often ask me these days if I think the
open-source community will be corrupted by the influx of big money. I tell
them what I believe, which is this: commercial demand for programmers
has been so intense for so long that anyone who can be seriously distracted
by money is already gone. Our community has been self-selected for caring
about other things -- accomplishment, pride, artistic passion, and each
other.
| OΦekßvßm, ╛e v∞t╣ina nßhle zbohatnuv╣φch hacker∙ uΦinφ podobnou volbu. Novinß°i se mne Φasto ptajφ, jestli m∙╛e komunitu otev°enΘho software korumpovat p°φliv velk²ch pen∞z. ╪φkßm jim to, v co pevn∞ v∞°φm: komerΦnφ firmy ji╛ tak dlouho lßkajφ programßtory, ╛e ka╛d², koho penφze opravdu p°itahujφ z tΘto komunity ji╛ dßvno ode╣el. Na╣e spoleΦenstvφ je vybφrßno na jin²ch zßkladech: dosa╛en²ch ·sp∞╣φch, p²╣e, um∞leckΘ vß╣ni, ... . |
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OK, so maybe I'll break down and finally get a cell phone. And cable
broadband so I can surf at smokin' speed. And a new flute. And maybe a
nice hotrodded match-grade .45 semi for tactical shooting. But really, I
don't want or need a lot of stuff. I'm kind of Buddhist that way; I like to
minimize my material attachments. (My family gripes that this makes me hell
to buy Christmas presents for.)
| OK, mo╛nß se nakonec rozhoupßm a koupφm si mobil. A po°ßdnou pevnou linku, tak╛e budu moci surfovat rychlostφ blesku. A novou flΘtnu. A mo╛nß i p∞knou roz╛havenou 0.45 pro taktickou st°elbu. Ale opravdu, nechci ani nepot°ebuji mnoho. Jß jsem sv²m zp∙sobem budhista: dßvßm p°ednost tomu, abych byl co nejmΘn∞ materißln∞ vßzßn. (Moje rodina tvrdφ, ╛e mß kv∙li tomu se mnou peklo p°i nßkupu vßnoΦnφch dßrk∙). |
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I'm not going to minimize my attachments by giving it all away, though, so
you evangelists for a zillion worthy causes can just calm down out there and
forget about hitting me up for megabucks. I am *not* going to be a soft
touch, and will rudely refuse all importunities.
| Nemφnφm ov╣em minimalizovat svΘ materißlnφ vazby tφm, ╛e v╣echno rozdßm, tak╛e vy, r∙znφ kazatelΘ ve prosp∞ch mnoha projekt∙ se uklidn∞te a zapome≥te na to, ╛e mne p°ipravφte o mΘ miliony. Nebude ze mne ╛ßdnß m∞kota a hrub∞ odmφtnu v╣echny dot∞rnosti. |
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I'm not copping this harsh attitude to protect my money, but rather to
protect the far more precious asset of my time. Because I don't want to
have to become a full-time specialist in deciding whose urgent pitch to buy,
I'm going to turn everybody down flat in advance. Anyone who bugs me
for a handout, no matter how noble the cause and how much I agree with
it, will go on my permanent shit list. If I want to give or lend or invest
money, *I'll* call *you*. (Sigh...)
| Jß nechci b²t takov²m hrubißnem proto, abych zachrßnil svΘ miliony, ale proto, abych uchrßnil n∞co mnohem cen∞j╣φho, sv∙j Φas. Jß se nechci stßt pln∞ zam∞stnan²m specialistou v rozhodovßnφ o tom, co v╣echno musφm zachrßnit a dop°edu oznamuji, ╛e odmφtnu ka╛dΘho. Kdokoliv, kdo mne po╛ßdß o penφze, bez ohledu na to, jak ╣lechetn² je jeho cφl a jak mnoho s nφm souhlasφm, za°adφm na sv∙j permanentnφ seznam hovad. Pokud budu chtφt p∙jΦit nebo investovat penφze, *jß vßs zavolßm* . (V²dech ...) |
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And yes, there are causes I'll give money to. Worthy hacker projects.
Free-speech activism. Firearms-rights campaigns. Tibet, maybe. I might
buy a hunk of rainforest for conservation somewhere. Megabucks are
power, and with power comes an obligation to use it wisely. I'll give
carefully, and in my own time, and only after doing my homework -- too
much charity often kills what it means to nurture. And enough about that.
| A ov╣em, existujφ p°φpady, kam chci penφze vklßdat. UznßnφhodnΘ hackerskΘ projekty. Aktivity spojenΘ se svobodou projevu. Kampa≥ za prßvo nosit zbra≥. Tibet, mo╛nß. Mo╛nß n∞kde koupφm kus tropickΘho pralesa jako m∙j p°φsp∞vek k ochran∞ ╛ivotnφho prost°edφ. Miliony znamenajφ moc, a s mocφ p°ichßzφ odpov∞dnost je pou╛φt moud°e. Budu rozdßvat obez°etn∞, a a╛ budu sßm chtφt a pouze potΘ, a╛ si v╣e sßm ov∞°φm. P°φli╣ mnoho pΘΦe Φasto zabφjφ to, o co se mß peΦovat. A to by staΦilo. |
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Ironically enough, one result of my getting rich is that I will probably start
charging for speaking appearances, now that nobody can plausibly accuse
me of doing it for the money. I won't charge open-source user groups or
schools, but I will cheerfully extract a per diem from all the business
conferences that keep wanting me to to boost their box office. Charging a
price for my time will separate the expensive conferences that attract
powerful people from the marginal events where the hacker community
would get less leverage from my presence.
| A trochu ironicky, jednφm z v²sledk∙ toho, ╛e jsem zbohatl bude to, ╛e budu pravd∞podobn∞ chtφt zaplatit svoje projevy, proto╛e mne u╛ nebude moci nikdo obvinit, ╛e v╣echno d∞lßm pro penφze. Nenechßm se platit skupinami otev°enΘho software nebo ╣kolami, ale vesele si nechßm zaplatit za v╣echny obchodnφ konference, kterΘ mne cht∞jφ pro zv²╣enφ nßv╣t∞vnosti. Tφm, ╛e si sv∙j Φas nechßm proplatit, odd∞lφm drahΘ konference, na kterΘ p°ijφ╛d∞jφ v²znamnφ lidΘ, od t∞ch okrajov²ch, na kter²ch z mΘ p°φtomnosti nem∙╛e hackerskΘ spoleΦenstvφ tolik profitovat. |
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For the same reason, I'm still going to insist that anybody who wants me to
give a talk has to cover my expenses and eliminate hassles. But I also
expect I'll still carry my own luggage. And I'll never get too proud to crash
on somebody's daybed when the local user group is too broke to cover a
hotel.
| Ze stejnΘho d∙vodu trvßm stßle na tom, aby ka╛d², kdo chce moji p°ednß╣ku pokryl mΘ ·traty a eliminoval mo╛nΘ nep°φjemnosti. Stßle v╣ak oΦekßvßm, ╛e si budu nosit vlastnφ zavazadla. A nikdy nebudu tak py╣n², abych se odmφtl slo╛it na n∞Φφ gauΦ, pokud mφstnφ skupina je p°φli╣ chudß na to, aby zaplatila hotel. |
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But enough trivialities; I'm going to get back to work. I've got the SNG
compiler stage almost done. Next up, I need to refactor the pngcheck code
so I can give it a report-format option that generates SNG syntax. Then, I
need to think about supporting MNG...
| Ale dost trivialit. Musφm zpßtky do prßce. SNG kompiler je ji╛ skoro hotov². Nynφ pot°ebuji p°epsat kontrolnφ k≤d png tak, abych mu p°idal formßtovacφ mo╛nost, kterß generuje SNG syntax. Pak musφm zaΦφt p°em²╣let o podpo°e MNG... |