Re: [Fsfe-uk] Free software book?

[Mark Preston]

> Mark Preston wrote:
> 
>> I wonder if you would care to expand on what Raymond is ignorant of
>> regarding building cathedrals and operating bazaars, and why the
>> "Cathedral and Bazaar" allegory wrt free software is by implication
>> flawed. Having only bought things in Bazaars, and only visited a few
>> Cathedrals my ignorance in this area is quite broad.
Rob Myers wrote:
> Raymond presents cathedrals as monolithic and bazaars as freewheeling.
> 
> Mediaeval Cathedrals were often multi-generational projects with each
> generation building on the work of the last. They are a framework within
> which people could do something amazing, architecturally speaking. A
> strong sense of purpose and a supportive framework can work wonders for
> individual talent.
> 
> Bazaars occupy a specific social space and are regulated by set rules.
> Everyone knows how to haggle.
> 
> The C&B allegory is flawed because Raymond has started from a mild
> dislike of GNU cut with too much Ayn Rand and created a metaphor that,
> although easy to understand, discards too much information. And the
> market needs information to work efficiently. ;-)
> 
> - Rob.

Thanks for the reply Rob. It kind of begs the question what would have
been a better allegory for Raymond to have used?

-- 
Regards,
Mark Preston