Originally Posted by
Kohan
Nothing would ever succeed if everyone referred to it in such a manner.
As essentially touched upon, the beauty of open source is its immortality, as a project can live on if its code is still distributed. While this can result in numerous branches worked on by separate development teams, some organization and dedication can turn out an admirable product, and this has happened in the past.
Furthermore, this "free" effort that people provide isn't necessarily wasted, as coders of nearly all kinds are in high demand right now, and the more successful their project, the more likely certain aspects of it (even if not the heart of the project itself) can contribute to their professional career. In that sense, it's an educational endeavor -- an investment into their future.
If it is an advertisement, what does it matter? Do you post for no reason besides bitterly raining on others' parades? If you think it could be fun, hold out hope that they succeed, and let them do as they will -- don't simply tell them they're destined to fail. Maybe it won't get off the ground, but then again, maybe it will.