Comments on: Software Development is a Team Sport

By: Playing Nicely and Benefitting without Belonging at Docunext Technology

Playing Nicely and Benefitting without Belonging at Docunext Technology — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 17:14:49 +0000

[...] Coker wrote an interesting post about the subject of software development teams, arguing that software development is a team sport. I really liked how he mentioned that the success of software can sometimes depend upon how well a [...]

By: 6 Tips for Programming in a Group | devjargon

6 Tips for Programming in a Group | devjargon — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 16:03:35 +0000

[...] a people person is crucial to having a good group experience. Development is a team sport and you need to make sure that you get along with your other “team [...]

By: pa

pa — Mon, 19 May 2008 15:26:35 +0000

(,”)hello…i believe that your article is right about software is a team sport…When i studied software engineering, I’ve learn that in building a software, you need a team because you are creating a whole system. Each member has a rule in building on it…So i guest it would be better to have a team, without it i think it lost the essence of the software! because one person can’t do all the work except when he/she is”Genius”? thanks for the article…good job

By: Albert Lash

Albert Lash — Mon, 19 May 2008 12:20:49 +0000

Hello again Russell. I appreciate your writing about this and playing devil’s advocate to a certain degree. I’ve been trying to be more of a team player, but I get discouraged easily.

If you have a moment, maybe you could share some more strategies for effective cooperation, like above where you mention the ways Wietse licensed Postfix and conformed to established Unix conventions.

Thanks!

By: etbe

etbe — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 22:28:21 +0000

Christopher: As I noted in my post I do understand his desire for keeping tight control over his software. He believes that it was necessary to keep the software secure and I have some sympathy for that.

We can however compare to Postfix, Wietse is more of a team player both in terms of licensing his software and in terms of working with established Unix conventions (such as /etc/aliases for example). Postfix came later to the market but now has a significantly greater market share both in terms of systems using it and distributions packaging it.

By: Christopher Warner

Christopher Warner — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 15:41:19 +0000

I tend to agree with this except towards the end when making the comparison to Dan Bernstein not being a team player in regards to qmail. In all honesty, it’s quite possible qmail would not be what it is today if he hadn’t kept it closed off in the manner that he did. It allowed him to be independent, keep features low and provide secure code.

Obviously, this could probably have been done in a team environment but the ultimate decision would probably still lie with him. Anyway, i’m not sure making a comparison like that is fair in regard to overall team player idea.

By: etbe

etbe — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 00:55:15 +0000

Albert: It’s well known that gifted children often prefer to associate with adults and older children rather than children their own age. The school system in it’s attempts to force conformity may be decreasing the ability of more talented people to work with others.

By: The need for organisation | DavePress

The need for organisation | DavePress — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 12:28:59 +0000

[...] seem to include self-perpetuating leadership groups? Is this a serious problem if, as reported, Software Development is a Team Sport [etbe]? Are there fully-working free software mass participation groups out [...]

By: MJR's slef-reflections: Better Free Software Organisations?

MJR's slef-reflections: Better Free Software Organisations? — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 09:18:18 +0000

By: Albert Lash

Albert Lash — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 00:34:36 +0000

Hi Russell - thanks for linking Docunext! I wish I was better team player - but since a kid I’ve been staunchly independent - not by choice, by nature. Even my kindergarten report card ranked me excellent in everything but “needs improvement” in playing with others, sharing with others, and getting along with others. Whoops!

The “loosely coupled” nature of open source software is perfect for me, I can collaborate with others, without having to collaborate with them! :-)