It's great when a FB memory inspires me to delve deeper into a subject I'd previously neglected or abandoned for the next shiny, alluring project. The latest was the memory of my alpha testing an open source Chrome add-on that I had used frequently at the office in 2016.
My CEO had been wholly confounded by the process as I described it. As both a company president and a devout Christian, all authority in his world has always come from above. I attempted to outline the principles of a cooperative - one of horizontal management and one whose aim is simply for the betterment of the community rather than for financial compensation.
His brows furrowed deeper as I explained that the Android OS was Linux-based. And whenever I'd finish citing an example of an open source project, he always returned to the question:
"BUT WHO TELLS THEM WHAT TO DO?"
A wise friend had responded to the post advising me to hand him a copy of The Cathedral and the Bazaar: Musings on Linux and Open Source by an Accidental Revolutionary.
It took the FB memory to inspire me to finally heed his advice. The book is open source and I read the full text in one sitting. Immediately upon completion, I ordered a physical copy for my library. It has also lead me to explore other classic software engineering texts, like The Mythical Man-Month and an array of widely-held principles of clean code.
I love it!
