Few geeks are unfamiliar with the concept of the Mythical Man-Month from Fred Brooks'
classic software engineering tome by the same name. It's a classic for good reason, which is probably why the debate has been so intense in the past week over a high-profile example that some say refutes it.
Richard Stallman's now-famous warnings about cloud computing (his verdict in a nutshell: It's "marketing hype") sparked a fresh round of debate in the blogosphere this week, along with some outbursts of incredulity. Stallman "is a few bubbles off of plumb and gets weirder every year," Slashdot blogger hairyfeet told LinuxInsider.
Here in the Linux blogosphere, things have been remarkably calm, cool and collected of late. Much, in fact, like the Father of Linux himself, one might say. It should come as no great surprise, then, that the very same man -- Linus Torvalds -- was the subject of some considerable -- albeit well-mannered -- debate.
Software patents are a frequently debated topic here in the Linux blogosphere, but nary a conversation has taken place about them in recent years without at least some hopeful mention of Bilski. Many, in fact, have looked to the longstanding case to finally put to rest the legal threats and patent quibbling that has beset the field.
Color is not typically a topic of much discussion on the Linux blogs, but in recent weeks, it's been drawing a lot of attention. Why, you ask? Simple: Ubuntu recently announced a major change to its longstanding "Human" earthtone-palette theme and branding.
With just a few days left to 2009, the mood on the Linux blogs has been uncharacteristically quiet and contemplative. Mostly gone are the fire and vitriol so often seen in the community's many contentious debates, replaced instead by discussions of a kinder, gentler nature.
There's nothing like weeks of ongoing conversation on the Linux blogs to suggest a topic has struck a chord. Sure enough, that's exactly what's been going on since the middle of last month. The topic? Documentation. Not good documentation, mind you -- the bad kind.
It's been a relatively quiet few days on the Linux blogs, and it seems safe to assume that at least part of that lull is due to the mind-numbing cold affecting many of us here in the Northern Hemisphere. The jollidays are at least behind us once more, but now there's the prospect of day after day of this dark, unrelenting chill.
"Do you want hemlock, or will a cyanide capsule do?" That was Slashdot blogger Barbara Hudson's response to a question being debated in the Linux blogosphere in recent days. Specifically, is Apple or Microsoft worse for FOSS? Cupertino was the choice of Alastair Otter, the blogger who originally raised the question.
Email this page
