Proposal: Python Info Collective

Thomas A. Bryan tbryan at python.net
Mon Nov 15 07:08:42 EST 1999


Jules Allen wrote:

> The best part of your story for me is confirmation that open source
> projects don't do well without strong leadership. No ESR or an
> ESR-like figure to crack the whip, no Trove.

In my experience, strong leadership is only necessary to maintain 
direction in an Open Source project.  To get work done, you don't 
need a leader cracking the whip; you need one or more programmers 
who really want to solve some problem.  As long as they are 
motivated, the project will progress.  If they are solving a 
problem that plagues or interests other programmers, then others 
will volunteer to contribute.  (This is where leadership comes in...
keeping all interested contributors moving in the same direction.)  
It progresses this way until all of the current maintainers get 
bored and move on...but since the source is open, others can pick 
it up and use it to start new development.

if-guido-got-hit-by-a-bus,-python-wouldn't-die-ly yours

---Tom




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