Maybe the webrtc stuff will help this by making ad hoc
communication trivial
To be fair, it also depends on the office environment. People slack off in the office just as easily. I find that I prefer self-imposed stress running my own business rather than being stuck in a job where I was unappreciated and had to listen to how replaceable I was. Not all work environments are the same.
I definitely agree on the communication, though. However, I think that is vital in any environment. Has this mailing list never helped you out? Have you never made contacts online that have been invaluable? When working in a team, it is vital to have team communications, but does our expertise stop at the team?
Perhaps I view things differently since I'm surrounded in real life by people who don't do what I do. My online contacts are my comrades, my sounding board, and my teachers. It's rather lonely to accomplish something and have no one to share it with. I still work in a team environment, but my team covers all aspects of the business. The fun of writing code or designing a routing policy tends to escape my fellow team members. Then again, I probably don't appreciate the success of a sale or successful price negotiations.
Jack
P.S. You know who you are that have helped me over the years. Thank you.