Hacker News new | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submit login

Open source software is priced at $0.

Drug discovery (i.e. actual drugs; NOT just hits or lead molecules) is not as simple as pounding code on the couch in your jammies.




But it is also not infinitely cheaper. It involves time commitment. Large projects are thousands and thousands of man months, and you can download and build it by paying $0. People seems to be willing to spend a significant amount of time for something that is distributed for $0.

By the logic above, that should never happen.


It is effectively infinitely easier. Hackers don't need multi-year studies, trials and FDA approvals before pushing code to Github. The fact that there are no "open source drugs" should give you a hint that the analogy you're trying to draw is fundamentally flawed.




Consider applying for YC's Spring batch! Applications are open till Feb 11.

Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: