Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Linux Development

Before I became a computer science major, I had never heard of the Linux operating system.  Nevertheless, there is no doubt that Linux has developed into an excellent source of good software.  Linus, the creator of Linux, had a unique way of optimizing the development of the Linux operating system.  While it is true that the more people you have working on a system the more flaws will be discovered in a shorter amount of time, it is also risky.  Using this approach puts the developer at risk for having unsatisfied users.  However, the more people you have working on a problem, the more likely that someone will have the capability to fix it.  This dramatically decreases the time it takes to solve an issue and make the new and improved version available for use.  A theory of Linus's that I do agree with is that people should not have to work on a project that they aren't intrigued by.  Someone is more likely to be successful and productive while working on a task that they find pleasure in.  This decreases the time it takes an assignment to be completed.  All of these components of Linus's style of development contributed to the successfulness of Linux operating systems today. 

http://www.catb.org/~esr/writings/cathedral-bazaar/cathedral-bazaar/index.html

1 comment:

  1. I know that I try much harder on my own projects to make it perfect. For school assignments I do the minimum required and little more.

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