Re: Delphi Bugs

From: Derek Davidson (derek.davidson_at_REMOVEenterpriseblue.co.uk)
Date: 07/31/04 

Date: 31 Jul 2004 03:43:28 -0700

Bob Dawson wrote:

An interesting missive, Bob. But you're way off :

> "But with open source everyone can see the code! Bugs can be fixed
> immediately!" No--reread last paragraph. For all but a select group,
> open source software is effectively read-only source. Knowing there's
> a bug in Linux or Eclipse or any other titularly 'open' source
> project doesn't give anyone else write access to the main source
> repository, nor the right to modify the tip code.

Why is that relevant? As you rightly state, all code is owned and no
self-respecting professional owner is going to allow untested code into
a tip revision. That would be dumb. But there's nothing stopping ANYONE
from changing their copy of the code, making use of it themselves and
uploading it to the owner for them to review, test and (hopefully)
incorporate in the next code revision. You CANNOT do this with closed
source.
 
> Second, with the
> appropriate editors one can modify closed source projects as
> well

IMO. you're over-stretching this now (and losing credibility in the
debate as a result). Closed source, by definition, doesn't come with
source. Lets bring the comparison closer to home and look at Delphi
third-party components. You can buy with or without source. Most of us
buy so we can be sure to have control. I suspect NONE of us buy
without because we can "hack it and do it anyway".

> --that's what hackers do to break security schemes.

This thinking is fatally flawed. To take it to it's n'th degree, you
can write Delphi in assembly language - no, wait - pure machine code.
Why bother with Delphi?

> So let's get real--anyone wanting to demonstrate that open souce
> methodogy has any specific merit (or defect) first needs to
> demonstrate that such a thing exists.

It does. You're manifestly unable to show otherwise. The only thing you
have shown (and with which I agree) is that all code is owned. I'm as
surprised by that as I was when I discovered that the Pope was a
catholic. 

-- 
Derek Davidson
http://www.enterpriseblue.com
For the world's EASIEST Help Desk software
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