[Vibrant General] SamsungVibrant:
My opinion, if anyone cares.

I haven't been following the details closely, however, it appears two developers on this site vibrant forum have decided to stop contributing to the community. I don't know why one left, but the most recent dev to leave seems to have been upset about a leak.

I have mixed feelings about the current state of events. I think back in 2008, when Android was first released and the G1 was revealed to the world, developers behaved very differently. At that point in time, development was driven by a desire to produce work based upon open source that could be enjoyed by all.

However, as the recent explosion in Androids success and popularity has sky rocketed, I think some developers are now driven by a different desire, the desire to cash in on Androids explosive growth. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that, if it is done appropriately, at an appropriate place and time. I may be wrong, but I don't think xda-developers.com was constructed with the goal of it being a a place where developers expect payment for their work that is based upon already leaked software. I would imagine it was developed under the premise that Android users, come together to enjoy the benefits of open source.

Of course, the popularity of this site means the owners of xda-developers are making lots of money, via advertising and other streams of cash flow. The success is of course because of developers and visitors like myself and you posting on the site. In that respect, I could understand a developer leaving, and making their own site. Heck, why should I as a developer post on XDA, make XDA owners rich, while I provide free stuff. I get it. I mean, just by us posting here, and debating about this, brings traffic to xda, and makes xda owners richer.

The problem I have though is with the way some developers handle donations. Recently this site has shifted from being a community where people come together to enjoy Android, to a community where some developers are seeking a monetary gain. The most recent thread was full of people saying "i donated" ..."hey i donated." The focus became money.

Moreover, something just rubs me the wrong way about asking for donations for customization of already leaked software. Customization that also includes the work of other developers. I mean does the dev pass down the donation to Samsung, Titanium Backup, LauncherPro, Zeam, Rom Manager, and the other developers of such programs that are implemented in their customization? Although asking for donations is done "indirectly" the focus definitely felt "direct." The reason I'm bugged by this, is because in my opinion the people who provide the leaks in the first place aren't here screaming for donations. Samfirmware.com isn't screaming for donations, and Samsung and T-Mobile aren't having a hissy fit that someone has their ROM and tweaked it and is now asking for donations.

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There are many things I don't mind donating for. Some truely great apps like "wheres my droid", and "NoLed." Those are original pieces of work. I'm not saying ROM's aren't, but I hope you see their is a difference between a tweaked rom based on an already leaked piece of work by Samsung/T-mobile, and that work which is purely original from the ground up.

Donating is fine, I just hope that in the future, new developers come to replace those that left, and that these new developers tweak leaked ROMs out of love for their hobby. If monetary gain is motivation, then I don't think it is a hobby any longer. I may be wrong, but I don't think XDA was meant to be a place where business transactions take place, where donations are "indirectly" expected for tweaking of leaked software.

Just my two cents.