The web is awash with stories of software developers who’ve “made it big“ - iPhone fart applications that allow the author to retire prematurely, companies raising millions in venture funding and being bought out by Google. I want my side project to become a huge success, but not for these crass comercial reasons per se, but rather the tangential benefits that financial independence would bring. The first reason is to avoid Bureaucracy. If I have to sit in another meeting and keep a straight face while hearing why someone should spend millions replacing a working $10K solution to “align with the organization’s strategic direction” I think I’m going to puke. When I saw the “standing on the shoulders of midgets” entry on the wiki I thought one of my friends was playing a prank, because it described the situation I’ve been in many times SO aptly. I had to read through the revision history and check the HOST file on my machine to be sure. The less I have to deal with things like this the happier I’ll be.
The second is to legitimize my being obnoxious. If you’re dirt poor and obnoxious then you’re just obnoxious. If you’re affluent and obnoxious then you’re “eccentric”, or “exacting” or “meticulous” or “detail oriented”. I want aura of righteousness that wealth brings to legitimize my bad behaviour.