Editing Magnifica Humanitas: A Plain-Language Overview (section)

=== A just livelihood is part of the project ===

Perl Guilds also exists because programmers need to eat.

They have families.

They require homes.

They need medical care, rest, education, savings, tools, and stability.

The idea that programming is a craft includes the possibility that a person should be able to earn a '''just and sustainable livelihood''' through that craft.

There is therefore nothing shameful about profit.

A programmer may sell software.

He may charge for consulting.

He may provide commercial support.

He may operate a hosted service.

He may write a book.

He may license a specialized tool.

He may charge for customization, migration, training, maintenance, or integration.

The moral question is not whether money changes hands.

The question is whether exchange remains ordered toward justice and genuine service.

Does the customer receive something of value?

Are promises kept?

Are workers compensated fairly?

Are licenses respected?

Are users manipulated into dependence unnecessarily?

Does the business model encourage deception or exploitation?

Can the work support the programmer's legitimate obligations to family and community?

This places the economic aspirations of Perl Guilds within the same broad concern for the dignity of work expressed in ''Magnifica Humanitas''.

The goal is not merely to maximize revenue.

The goal is to make useful technical craftsmanship economically sustainable.