[Edu-sig] Re: Programming for the fun of it

[Dethe Elza]

Kirby wrote:

> [An argument for open source that's often made:  more eyeballs 
> examining the code means faster bug fixes and broader 
> understanding of how to evolve/integrate in an OS context
> -- the development of Python itself being a case in point
> (the bazaar vs. the cathedral idea (even in the bazaar 
> model, you can have decision-makers like Guido von Rossum 
> or Linus Tovalds guiding the process) 
> See: http://www.tuxedo.org/~esr/writings/cathedral-bazaar/]

A lesser known argument, but important in this context, is that 
programs are a form of literature.  Just as you learn to write well
by reading a great deal, so you should learn to program well by
reading good code.  With proprietary solutions there is no body
of code to learn from, but with open source we have the Library
of Alexandria at our fingertips.  Interestingly, the Patterns movement
adapted poetry workshops as a method for developing new
patterns, and Extreme Programming has the explicit goal of 
writing programs which are more like literature (highly readable).

--Dethe