RE: Using % type functions/using RPG IV

[Colin Williams <Williamsc@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Customers fixing errors in vendors code - Sounds scary!

-----Original Message-----
From: pcunnane@learningco.com [mailto:pcunnane@learningco.com]
Sent: Tuesday, February 08, 2000 5:07 PM
To: 'RPG400-L@midrange.com'
Subject: Re: Using % type functions/using RPG IV


     
"What I find strange is all this talk of having to maintain the 
vendor's 
code.  Don't these people retain control of their own source?  If our 
customers find bugs or want enhancements they come to us (generally -- 
there are exceptions)."
     
     At the risk of becoming this group's answer to ESR, this 
is the whole 
     point of open source.  Opening the source is not 
synonymous --- by a 
     long shot --- with `losing control.'  On the contrary, it 
is one of 
     the single biggest ways of ensuring the quality of the code.
     
     You say that your customers come to you when they find bugs --- 
     without the source, all they can really do is find anomalous 
     behaviour.  Your company then taxes itself with finding the actual 
     code that is in error, and fixing it.  The single most common net 
     effect of this is that the vendor does not fix the bug, or 
at least 
     not in a timely fashion.
     
     On the other hand, if I have access to the source code, I 
can use my 
     expertise to find the bug and kill it.  I can then share 
the results 
     of my efforts with the software vendor, who can QA my fix, and 
     distribute it if appropriate.  This leads to quicker 
results for me, 
     cheaper and higher quality software for the vendor, and much more 
     potential for high-quality code for all the vendor's other 
customers.  
     Software development is not a zero-sum game --- with open source, 
     everyone wins.
     
     Check out http://www.opensource.org - I strongly recommend reading 
     ESR's essays, starting with The Cathedral and the Bazaar.
     
     ____________
     Paul Cunnane
     Mattel Interactive
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