Re: Interesting article ZDNet re informal software development quality

[Crispin Cowan <crispin () immunix com>]

Kenneth R. van Wyk wrote:

I saw an interesting interview on ZDNet today about Walt Scacchi's work at UC 
Irvine.  In his work, Dr. Scacchi assesses open source software development 
methodologies for quality.  (See the full article/interview at http://
zdnet.com.com/2100-1104_2-5135027.html?tag=zdfd.newsfeed)  Although the 
interview doesn't address security issues per se, there was an interesting Q/
A in which Dr. Scacchi describes how so many open source projects don't go 
through a formal specification or design phase (see excerpt below); instead, 
they generally accomplish these steps more informally.


In other news, pundits observe that the Linux kernel's development 
methodology violates most of the tenets of Brooks' "Mythical Man Month". 
Using ludicrous methods such as distributed development by a diverse 
team, many of whom have never met in person, and accelerating 
development by adding people, analysts observe that this method could 
not possibly work, and therefore the Linux kernel must be a figment of 
everyone's imagination :)


Crispin

--
Crispin Cowan, Ph.D.  http://immunix.com/~crispin/
CTO, Immunix          http://immunix.com
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