In the open source era, do vendor developer programs matter as much as they once did?

It doesn't matter which language or platform you develop for; developers who use proprietary tools or commercial open-source applications have a similar resource in common: membership in a vendor developer program. Whether sponsored by a large company or a small one, these programs typically include technical documentation, forums and other peer advice, and early access to new APIs or other supporting tools. Some vendors provide upgraded access on a fee basis, such as quicker turnaround on bug reports.

If you've been programming for any length of time, this isn't news to you. Most developers have at least flirted with membership in a developer program, particularly if it's free — and most do offer a lot of resources even at the cheapskate level. Web 2.0 vendors also have developer programs in which they share APIs and offer help in using them, including Google, eBay, Yahoo, Facebook, and PayPal.

While these programs aren't always perfect, they are generally appreciated simply because someone from the company can give an authoritative answer (whether or not they actually do), and you can depend on other developers sharing your concerns to congregate in the online communities. Microsoft regularly tops the satisfaction ratings for bang-for-the-buck, at least according to yearly surveys performed by Evans Data Corp.

However, as you start relying more on open source tools that are not necessarily backed by commercial vendors... do formal developer programs lose their meaning? Yes, yes, I know that open source projects can often give you the right answer very quickly, and that fixes are usually provided within a few days. However, learning to ask a question in an open source community requires a few new social skills (i.e. Don't post in an IRC community, "Can I ask a question?"—just ask!), and there is no one whose personal career rests upon making sure that your issue is resolved. Developer programs, for all their sometime faults (and I'm sure you can tell me about them), do set an expectation that (at least at the enterprise level) someone is being paid to care about user satisfaction.

I'm not sure about this, but I wonder about the longtime implications of wholly self-serve support. Open source developers tend to be more critical and I've seen well-meaning communities struggle with their public reputation (Gosh, did Ruby come to mind for you, too?). Given the longtime popularity of commercial developer programs, I wonder if there's a market opportunity to provide similar services for open source communities — including someone whose job it is to "know the right person" and get her attention to resolve a tech support issue, for instance. Or someone to put on in-person tech conferences, or help connect community members with business resources (a "Find a &Project; developer" service). Or... you get the idea.

I don't mean to sound authoritative here, as if I am sure that this is something needed. But I wonder that nobody has talked overmuch about the transition in developer lifestyle from "join a developer program" to Do It Yourself. I'm awfully interested in your response.