Linux Kernel Design and Why Python is Rad

[Andy Todd]

Ric Werme <werme at mediaone.net> wrote in
<o4YO7.2212$zX1.3704465 at typhoon.ne.mediaone.net>: 

>Jonathan Gardner <jgardn at alumni.washington.edu> writes:
>
>>Check out this link: http://kerneltrap.org/article.php?sid=398
>
>>Linus Torvalds on design: "Nothing successful has every been designed.
>>It has evolved."

Fascinating article, anyone who professes to build software should read it, 
and then have a good long think about what it means and what he is saying. 

>
>>Everyone else: "No wait a minute, that's not what this book says! And
>>that's not what my teacher said!"
>
>Everyone else has not read "The Mythical Man-Month"?  It states quite
>clearly that you should "Plan to throw one away."  It's still one of the
>few books on system design that's worth reading.

Ah, but what Brooks also says (in "No Silver Bullet" if memory serves) is 
that programs (and systems) that 'evolve' beat the pants off programs that 
are iterated. 

I agree that everyone should read "The Mythical Man-Month". Its amazing 
that it was written over twenty five years ago and still isn't as widely 
read as it should be, for instance by most of the project managers I've 
ever worked with ;-)

Whilst you are reading about the process of development, don't miss Joel on 
Software (http://www.joelonsoftware.com/). He has some interesting things 
to say on many subjects, and specifically for this thread on the 
adviseability of throwing away perfectly good software and starting from 
scratch, mainly in relation to Mozilla. Joel isn't the free software role 
model that Linus is but he provides a fascinating corollary.

>
>Jeez, kids these days....

Its not like it was back in the good old days is it? Now where is Guido's 
time machine when you need it ...

>--
>"When we allow fundamental freedoms to be sacrificed in the name of real
>or perceived emergency, we invariably regret it.   -- Thurgood Marshall
>   Ric Werme                            | werme at nospam.mediaone.net
>   http://people.ne.mediaone.net/werme  |       ^^^^^^^ delete

Regards,
Andy
-- 
Content free posts a speciality