[OSGeo-Discuss] scale of FOSS projects

[Miles Fidelman]

Frank Warmerdam wrote:
>> ""Real artists ship. For everyone else, there is wanking."
>
> For the record, while I acknowledge a kernel of truth in this, I find the
> statement so elitist and dismissive of the varied efforts that it 
> takes to
> make things work that I cringe every time I hear it.
>
> Discussion, conferences, standards, coordination, etc all play an 
> important
> role in making a software ecosystem useful.  If there is a lesson, it 
> may be
> that these other things shouldn't become so all consuming that they 
> prevent
> actually producing useful software.
>
Well said!

And let me add: lab directors (academic and commercial), proposal 
writers, IT managers who recognize the value of open-sourcing internally 
generated code, research funding agencies (DARPA and NSF program 
managers!) - i.e., those who find ways to pay people's salaries to write 
code - are an important part of the ecosystem.

-- 
Miles R. Fidelman, Director of Government Programs
Traverse Technologies 
145 Tremont Street, 3rd Floor
Boston, MA  02111
mfidelman at traversetechnologies.com
617-395-8254
www.traversetechnologies.com