Re: [DotGNU]What's Next for Linux and Open Source?

[Barry Fitzgerald]

Tim has some good observations and, frankly, some places where he
overgeneralizes.  He really does "jump tracks" from Open Source and Free
Software development into the interoperability paradigm (which opens the
game up to proprietary vendors unnecessarily) and then makes the less
than complete conclusion that that's all that matters.  Beyond that, the
article points out a number of good observations; in particular that
good project design harbors simple and working interoperability at the
code and project level, which is something that we've been trying to
harness in DotGNU from the very beginning.

So, from experience I can state that design and management of Free
Software projects (particularly large ones like DotGNU) is not some
magic cauldron from which interoperability springs eternal.  It takes
hard work, perseverance, and a lot of experimentation before the right
combinations come along.  

Having said this, I can state that Tim is correct when he says that
interoperable programs are better for the users, however it is a
somewhat unenlightened concept - even if it's one that we need to be
reminded of constantly.

        -Barry



Bill Lance wrote:
> 
> Some thoughts from O'Reilly about OS/FSS development
> and .NET/WebServices/ Etc.
> 
> http://www.linux-mag.com/2001-10/trench_01.html
> 
> "Once you accept the ideas of interoperability and
> open access as the shared cornerstone of both open
> source and the Internet architecture, and measure
> projects by the degree to which they work well with
> others, you may get a different set of filters for
> what's most important for open source developers to
> focus on."
> 
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