[SLL] Arguments against unknown process of open-source: Where is Eric Raymond?

[Brett Serkez]

>  In a situation I am finding myself facing frequently these days (how's that
> for euphemistic subtlety?) I commonly hear the argument that open source,
> and particularly firefox, doesn't get QA attention in a formalized process
> which can be reasonably recognized from a business perspective,

Open Source doesn't have the same financial backing, incentives or
deadlines as paid software.  What it does have are passionate
developers who are almost always users of the software (their
motivation) and likely to do a better job during development and more
likely to find issues as they continually use the software.

You could say that proprietary software needs metrics to insure
quality as hired guns might not even use the software they are
developing, how else would those paying their salaries know if they
are getting their money's worth?

Are Open Source end-users willing to pay for metrics?  The Open Source
model is that of a community, use it or not, do your own support or
pay for services such as support, metrics collection, and so on.

I would propose that the answer to your question is that those using
Open Source need to understand the different models and cannot compare
apples and oranges.

Brett