On 12/10/05, Gianluca Turconi <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > Indeed, the "Issuezilla's Issue" is perhaps as old as the OOo project > and, IMHO, it doesn't depend on the open source method (as it may seem > from the article) but on the working flow used inside Sun > (StarDivision) and how to conciliate it with the external aid (QA, > patches, add-ons, whatever-you-want).
If the IssueZilla Issue is as old as the OOo project, and it hasn't been fixed, or replaced, then there is a problem there. Nevertheless, the acknowledgment that the Project has a problem, it > doesn't mean the Project (or Open Source as a whole!) is a failure. I don't think Andrew ever said it was a failure. He said it's not as successful as it should be. If we (the Volunteer's Community) want to change the way the Project > goes we should stop saying: "Open Source sucks", "Sun sucks" or > "Volunteers sucks (or are missing)". We should provide a structure that > can assist Sun and other companies in an organized way. Everything > else, forgive me, it's only hot air, and I'm not talking about your > mail. I don't think Andrew ever said anything sucks. I think he said it needs help. Your email is just one more example of the "all or nothing" attitude that permenates the FLOSS movement. If someone brings up a shortcoming in the project, unless they are ready, right at that moment, with the code to fix it - they are told (a) why it doesn't need to be fixed, (b) that it will be fixed as soon as *They* (the one who brings up the problem) writes the code, and (c) they *MUST* be working for Microsoft since they are so obviously against the Open Source movement for saying anything negative about it. He is not against OOo, he is not against Open Source, and he is by no means a MS plant. He is simply, honestly, and correctly, pointing out several shortcomings in the OOo project, and using that (or should I say *this*) project as an example, an "illustration" as he calls it. He doesn't say that because OOo has this problem that every single other project does, or that Open Source does as a whole. He said that it is one example of a problem that does exist throughout Open Source, and that is a dirth of coders. I'm not a coder, so I can't speak as authoritatively as Andrew, but I've seen many people on the OOo lists say that most, if not all, of the actual coding is done by Sun employees. FLOSS is, indeed, as much about a production model as it is a licensing agreement. You can use the license without the model, and you can probably use the model without the license (although you'd have to use some kind of license that would allow it). Maybe a new term, like "Volunter Programming" or something needs to be used to describe what exactly Andrew was talking about, but the point is, its not taking off the way many would hope. Look at the other Open Source open suites - Gnome Office and Koffice. AbiWord, I've been told, is maintained by 5 - 7 volunteers. On one hand, it's amazing that such a small group is able to create and maintain such a program - but imagine what they could do with 30 or 250 or 500 programmers. Koffice doesn't have a ton of coders either. You'd think with unlimited access to the source, and the encouragement of the project to contribute code, thousands of coders would want to contribute. They don't. For whatever reason, the large majority of qualified programmers don't spend an hour a week writing code for FLOSS projects. If they did, then these bugs wouldn't exist. Think about it. 10,000 coders contirbuting just 1 hour a week - that would be 40,000 hours a month, over 500,000 hours of code a year. That's the same as 250 full time programmers. What kind of bug smashing could get done if OOo had 250 full time coders? Or 100? Or 50? That's on top of all the paid programmers OOo has as a result of Sun Microsystems generous contribution. Many FLOSS projects don't have that kind of paid support. Andrew shouldn't be attacked for his article. He's doing what needs to be done - point out the problem areas so they can be addressed. It's the only way to solve the problem. It's the first step, admitting there is a problem. -- - Chad Smith http://www.gimpshop.net/ Because everyone loves free software!
