[Linuxcommand-announce] [LinuxCommand.org: Tips, News And Rants] Peanuts And Software

[William S. <bs...@pa...>]

I really enjoy factory tours. I've always had a fascination with how
things work and how things are made. Over the years, I've been on some
great tours, Syracuse China, Corning Glass, Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream,
and best of all, the (now defunct) General Motors assembly plant in
Baltimore.In the past, it seemed like many companies offered tours of
their factories to the public, and why not? The great companies were
truly proud of what they were doing and were happy to show you. This
even applied to products whose production processes are better left
unseen.In recent years, factory tours are getting harder to find. I
don't know the exact reason for this. Maybe its the fear of litigation,
or a desire to keep everything proprietary, I just don't know.The alert
among you may have noticed the story in yesterday's New York Times
announcing that the Peanut Corporation of America has filed for
bankruptcy and will be going out of business. As you may know, Peanut
Corporation of America recently gained notoriety for knowingly shipping
peanut butter to its customers that was contaminated with salmonella
resulting over 600 reported illnesses and 9 deaths. As the scandal
unfolded, reports surfaced of unsanitary conditions in its plants
including cockroaches, leaking roofs, and a report of a dead rat in one
of its peanut roasters.Somehow, I don't think they offered a factory
tour.What does this have to do with software? Plenty. When you make
something in the full light of day, it's a lot less likely that
something horrible is going on under cover of secrecy. Open source code
is like a factory tour for software. You can wander around and feel the
pride of those who created it.Proprietary software is different. What
are they hiding? Does their program have "rats in the roasters?"You'll
never know.

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Posted By William Shotts to LinuxCommand.org: Tips, News And Rants at
2/14/2009 08:45:00 AM