What motivates programmers?

"Technical people are motivated by interesting work. They will put up with abominable working conditions if they get to work on something that interests them. I’ve managed people who had to be sent home at night. But technical people without interesting work are very difficult to manage. Their active minds tend to get them into trouble." -- From Judy McKay, author of "Managing the Test People" (http://tinyurl.com/3a9m69)

What is interesting work? That determination is up to the hacker's mind.

I've managed programmers for 10 years, and what I've found is that money is often not the most important motivator. Good hackers are artists, and they want (1) freedom, and (2) appreciation. When they ask for more money, it's often really their spouse who wants it. Granted, that's a good reason, and many spouses play an important role in not letting their hackers be exploited.

Sex