Free software's not-so-eXZellent adventure

Posted Apr 4, 2024 5:56 UTC (Thu) by rgmerk (guest, #167921)
In reply to: Free software's not-so-eXZellent adventure by willy
Parent article: Free software's not-so-eXZellent adventure

There's a big assumption in our processes that the Founder of a project is trustworthy. It's worked fairly well so far because, well, most people are fundamentally good. But good people can be turned (gambling debts, moral hazards, appeals to patriotism).

Indeed, founders are people subject to the full range of human frailties. To take an extreme but pertinent example, Hans Reiser's crime may not directly relate to his software contributions, but it was heinous.

I don't have a solution either, other than the general observation that single points of failure are bad and to be avoided if at all possible.