Thanks for writing it. I have been grappling with the concept of open source code since Netscape did it. You are right in saying that it all comes down to money, artists or programmers all the same. I am perplexed at this concept to say the least. Not that I am a ruthless capitalist, but I have always thought of freeware and open source code as a way to get noticed as a competent programmer so that you can get a JOB at a software company that will pay you for your hours of toiling.
Software development is an art, a science, and a gift.
It seems to me that open source has to have a sufficiently large group of developers who are actively working in the source. It is a market size issue, where you are selling the open source to the community of developers, and you have to have enough buyers for the source to be viable. In the case of browsers and Netscape in particular, there is a lot of interest in enhancing, stabilizing, and reusing the source, and there is a very large group of developers who can benefit from this. So, there is a lot of activity with this source, moving it forward. The seeds of open source Richard Stallman planted took a LONG time to sprout.