MJ Ray wrote:
On 2004-02-01 12:50:09 +0000 J j.e.taylor@uea.ac.uk wrote:
[Free Software because] we dont have to keep re-writing the wheel everytime we want to use one". If this is so, why are there so many programs which do the same thing as other programs, instead of all of the people who work on these con-current programs working together on one "good", "efficient" one?
I think you know the answer to this, really. Why are there so many people who are different but can do similar jobs, instead of all the people who do one of those jobs having the same "good", "efficient" DNA?
All thos epeople doing similar jobs? I think this is mainly due to either the throughput demand of the jobs - for instacne box packing, you need two guys to pack boxes becasue that way you get through it twice as fast. And hell yeah, if I get the worlds best box packer, why the hell not clone him (lets presuming cloning is some kind of instantainous cloning that produces an identical in every respect (phsychological and physical))? Sure I have to pay two people now (unless I can think of some scam about them being the same person and :. only having one persons wage... mmmm a capatilists dream, an army of workers and only paying one! mmmmm)
But in terms of research? I know for my third year I've been told to do my best to do something that nobody else is doing, and am expceted to do it in a different way to anyone at UEA. My project is to allow veristality in one system. When it comes to companies doing this, again, it makes sence for any one company to not have two people duplicating work, unless the work is just "getting through the work load". And finally, if its down to multiple companies reasearching the same thing, then yes, wouldnt it make sense for them to work togehter? For each of the researchers to research little bits and produce a better product? Isnt **THAT** the real point of Open Source, not versitality? Isnt it all about Academics not wanting to do stuff over and over?
so no, I dont think I know the answer to this - the only answer I can see is because the current program "dosnt do what it should". Hence possibly the thing I am aiming at - Is this method of project creation that is currently used in Open Source a good method? Are the benifits that people keep going on about in Open Source becomming apparant for the majority of Open Source projects? Use of word Open Source as opposed to publicly availible programs?
J