Archive of UserLand's first discussion group, started October 5, 1998.

Debunking the OSS Bazaar?

Author:Erik L. Neu
Posted:9/15/2000; 5:56:49 AM
Topic:Debunking the OSS Bazaar?
Msg #:21344
Prev/Next:21343 / 21345

This article, by Charles Connell, makes a persuasive case that the Open Source Software development model is not a bazaar at all, but really a cathedral. Not that that is bad or ineffective, just not quite the collegial, self-organizing community that it has been advertised as being. Now, the article is on the Lotus.com web-site, so draw whatever contextual inferences you may...

>>Open Source Revisited So, if the open source model is not a bazaar, what is it? To the certain consternation of Raymond and other open source advocates, their bazaar is really a cathedral. The fetchmail and Linux projects were built by single, strong architects with lots of help -- just like the great cathedrals of Europe. Beautiful cathedrals were guided by one person, over many years, with inexpensive help from legions of workers. Just like open source software is. And, just as with open source software, the builders of the cathedrals were motivated by religious fervor and a divine goal. Back then, it was celebrating the glory of God, now it is toppling Bill Gates.>>

(Thanks to Elliott Rusty Harolde's Cafe Au Lait Java news site for pointing me to this article.)

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