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The "Doctor Who" Model of Open Source

Posted by kdawson on from the chemistry-in-a-phone-booth dept.

Glyn Moody writes "Open source projects are generally fine when there's a long-term leader like Linus; but what happens when nobody is able or willing to run things for extended periods? Peter Murray-Rust explains how the open chemistry group known as the Blue Obelisk has evolved what he calls the 'Doctor Who Model of Open Source': 'You'll recall that every few years something fatal happens to the Doctor and you think he is going to die and there will never be another series. Then he regenerates. The new Doctor has a different personality, a different philosophy (though always on the side of good). It is never clear how long any Doctor will remain unregenerated or who will come after him. And this is a common theme in the Blue Obelisk.' Could other open source projects learn from this experience as long-term leaders start to move on?"

7 of 116 comments (clear)

  1. WTF? by Gizzmonic · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Doctor Who? We're talking about a contrivance that was used to explain away actors leaving a show. Meanwhile, in reality, open source projects leave a lot of code that may or may not be well-documented. Changing project managers every few years strikes me as rather difficult, although I guess if you can maintain interest in the project throughout, it could still be a success. Still, it seems like a warning sign to me, kind of like when a movie has 5 screenwriters or 5 editors.

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    (-1, Raw and Uncut is the only way to read)
    1. Re:WTF? by Marillion · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Just as Doctor Who is bigger than any one actor who plays the role, many of the "Big Things" in life are always bigger than those who run them. Corporate Executives should do well to remember that.
      This isn't the same thing as saying anyone can just replace anyone. Matt Smith has some large expectations to meet when Tennant turns over the TARDIS key.
      Linux is a great example. Linus doesn't do as much day-to-day programming in the kernel - he hasn't for years. None the less, there are dozens of people who do. Linux will continue long after Linus stops working on it.
      I think there is a great danger if there exists a Cult of Personality in an organisation. While I firmly believe that Apple can do well after Steve Jobs leaves, he has built a Cult of Personality that will immediately cripple whoever follows.

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      This is a boring sig
    2. Re:WTF? by ArsonSmith · · Score: 4, Funny

      If you are reading this then you are part of the resistance.

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      Paying taxes to buy civilization is like paying a hooker to buy love.
  2. And after 12 regenerations ... ? by Burb · · Score: 4, Funny

    After 12 deaths, you need hyper-advanced aliens from another planet to grant a new regeneration cycle? Does Davros take over? I'll explain later.

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    1. Re:And after 12 regenerations ... ? by CarpetShark · · Score: 5, Funny

      And that's the easy part. Try downloading a tar file from some crazy Dr. Who open source project and finding it's bigger inside than out... oh, wait...

  3. Feudalism by Bastard+of+Subhumani · · Score: 4, Funny

    Feudalism with a herditary monarchy. Trouble is anybody who works on open source projects doesn't breed, so you'd have succession wars all the time.

    No change there, then.

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    Only three things are certain; death, taxes, and apocryphal quotations - Ben Franklin.
  4. RBS, Linus, Guido Python, Larry Perl by thehickcoder · · Score: 5, Informative

    with characters such as RBS, Linus, Guido Python, Larry Perl, etc.

    Um..... RMS, Linus Torvalds, Guido van Rossum, Larry Wall