The Cathedral and the Bazaar

The Cathedral and the Bazaar

Fall 1999, Vol. 12, No. 3, pp 23–49 | Eric Raymond
In "The Cathedral and the Bazaar," Eric Raymond examines the success of the open-source project fetchmail, which was run as a test of theories about software engineering inspired by the Linux community. He contrasts two development styles: the "cathedral" model, which is centralized and highly controlled, and the "bazaar" model, which is decentralized and collaborative. Raymond argues that the Linux experience supports the idea that "Given enough eyeballs, all bugs are shallow," suggesting that the Linux community's approach to software development is more effective than the traditional cathedral model. He explores the implications of this insight for the future of software development and provides insights into why the Linux community is so productive and successful. The article also includes a detailed account of how Raymond successfully implemented the bazaar model in the fetchmail project, highlighting the benefits of open collaboration and rapid iteration.In "The Cathedral and the Bazaar," Eric Raymond examines the success of the open-source project fetchmail, which was run as a test of theories about software engineering inspired by the Linux community. He contrasts two development styles: the "cathedral" model, which is centralized and highly controlled, and the "bazaar" model, which is decentralized and collaborative. Raymond argues that the Linux experience supports the idea that "Given enough eyeballs, all bugs are shallow," suggesting that the Linux community's approach to software development is more effective than the traditional cathedral model. He explores the implications of this insight for the future of software development and provides insights into why the Linux community is so productive and successful. The article also includes a detailed account of how Raymond successfully implemented the bazaar model in the fetchmail project, highlighting the benefits of open collaboration and rapid iteration.
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