__/ [ nessuno@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx ] on Friday 14 July 2006 14:14 \__
> This is not a small matter. It contributes significantly to the higher
> average quality of OSS compared to proprietary software. I know of
> cases where programmers have quit jobs or gone on strike, not for
> higher wages but simply to be allowed to work on projects that gave
> them the freedom to create elegant solutions to problems. And elegent
> code is high quality code, highly organized with functions closely
> delineated, and with any ugly details isolated into code segments that
> present the rest of the world with a simple interface. It is code
> that is less likely to have bugs in the first place, both because of
> its organization and also because of the high morale of the
> programmers. Also, the programmers who are attracted to elegance as a
> goal are the better programmers to start with.
>
> I have previously posted on the history of the Apache project and their
> standards for high quality code. The reference is
>
>
http://groups.google.co.uk/group/comp.os.linux.advocacy/browse_frm/thread/ecaefa9065ac3c90/ed98111f091f80a6?lnk=st&q=Apache+group%3Acomp.os.linux.advocacy+author%3Anessuno%40wigner.berkeley.edu&rnum=1&hl=en#ed98111f091f80a6
>
> Of course this does not apply to all FOSS code, but as a general rule I
> think it is valid.
To elaborate:
(1) A recent survey showed IT to be one of the most stress-imposing
occupations. I cannot recall if it was argued that 90/99% of all people in
IT dread the thought of going to work. The figures are roughly right though.
(2) Programmers seek creativity, or expression. Code that is not visible
gives little or no incentive towards efficiency, good and clear
documentation, and elegance.
(3) Management as opposed to peer encouragement: that's a factor.
(4) Code gets fixed when the boss says it should or when payment (/a la/
Microsoft's recent bounty hunt for Vista) is involved. If the code is
perceived as property of the corporation, it is the responsibility of that
corporation to have it fixed. Personal liability takes low precedence.
That's from the POV of the coder... there's no sense of ownership...
(5) How many people will be able to see the flaws in the programmer's code?
Can it be swept under the carpet so that the deadline is reached (allowing
the programmer to drive back home earlier)?
(6) If the coder get fired or quits (rarer in OSS), will s/he mind the
problems that successors will face?
(7) Working home/internationally.
I had the great pleasure of being paid to work on a GPL project back in 2002.
This truly helped me appreciate Open Source development models. Friendly
relationships; highly flexible working hours, etc.
Anyway, these was just trail of thoughts... streams of consciousness. I am
sure that better things have been written many times in the past, which are
far more comprehensive.
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