RE: Open Source

["Jonathan Shore" <jshore@example.com>]

> From: Stephen J. Turnbull [mailto:turnbull@example.com]
>
> Linus has turned out to be either very lucky or a certifiable genius
> at delegation.

Indeed

>
> entirely plausible and more likely than the "direct incompetence"
> theory.  "Indirect" incompetence is where the higher-level executive
> fails to set up the structure of delegation correctly.

I agree with the incompetence assessment - it would have made sense to have
had a mechanism by which priorities were agreed upon.  The goals of the
project were not software driven but driven by the local business in each
location.  As for my own involvement in it, it's hard for me to say (I was
one of three project managers, one for each location).  The priorities of
the project were driven by local demands in each location - this lead to
trouble.  As for myself, I'm first a CS, and more recently a
business-person.  I make no claims to being a management genius.  I still
think that there will be issues regardless of ones management prowess.

It is hard for me to believe that a distributed open source project would
not face similar issues at the micro level.  I think the only way it could
work (down to the last detail), would be for all of the developers to be
united around the same goals.  Short of a cult following, I cannot see any
given project manager as having enough "control" (hate that word) to
accomplish his/her goals in the order and time desired.  If your goals are
broad enough and have wide appeal, that may be a different story.

Anyway, back to coding now.  Thanks for the interesting debate.

JS