[DotGNU]What's most important for DotGNU developers to focus on

[Norbert Bollow]

Bill Lance quoted from http://www.linux-mag.com/2001-10/trench_03.html

> "Once you accept the ideas of interoperability and
> open access as the shared cornerstone of both open
> source and the Internet architecture, and measure
> projects by the degree to which they work well with
> others, you may get a different set of filters for
> what's most important for open source developers to
> focus on."

While I don't agree with the direction in which Tim O'Reilly is
steering the developers who listen to him (in particular, there
are many ways in which he is sacrificing key principles of
Freedom) he has some good points.  In particular, I'd like us to
start putting together a document "What's most important for
DotGNU developers to focus on".

For example Tim's point on interoperability could be translated
to something like the following...


* Always focus on solving real-world problems.

* Avoid huge monolithic systems which are difficult to modify
  because everything depends on everything.  Instead, build
  modular systems where new functionality can be obtained by
  adding components, or exchanging one or two components.

* Carefully document the interfaces between different software
  components.  Whenever we implement a standard which specifies
  such an interface, implement the standard faithfully without
  additions or omissions -- except where additions are necessary
  for interoperability with widely-used other implementations.

* Each component must verify all data which it receives from
  other components to make sure that the assumptions which are
  made about this data are correct.


Of course, more points should be added...

Greetings, Norbert.

-- 
A member of FreeDevelopers and the DotGNU Steering Committee: dotgnu.org
Norbert Bollow, Weidlistr.18, CH-8624 Gruet   (near Zurich, Switzerland)
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