Comment Re:I had a nice long post written... (Score 1) 1154
Short version: make refinements--not drastic changes--every year. But that's boring, so no one will do it.
This, coupled with vision to understand what your software 1) needs to do today (and what it doesn't), 2) will need to be capable of doing tomorrow, and 3) how to code so that 1 doesn't get in the way of as many hypothetical 2's as reasonably possible. No more god damn ground-up rewrites.
I share your frustration with this topic. The Linux community runs itself in circles with endless discussions, each comment detailing a specific body of code that needs fixed before Linux can become its best. But the problem is endemic.
I feel we could be ten times further along than where we are now. The current state of Linux and related software is impressive, all made possible by the community driven approach. The unfortunate reality is that competing software ecosystems are equally impressive, and made possible in the almost exact opposite way. Closed corporations, run by a hierarchies of people, each individual coder with a boss, who has a boss, who has a boss to please. At the top of that chain is a vision, which I'm convinced is the most important factor in making something meaningful happen. Apple under Steve Jobs is the best example of this, that man was nothing if not someone who made his vision happen for better or worse (in Apple's case, for better, not that it works out that way for all companies).
I'm getting too long winded with this, but I can't help but feeling that the community behind the software we use can do this more intelligently. The sweet spot between the two approaches is with well structured and defined visions for dozens of functional aspects of what makes a great Linux OS, laid out in a way that motivates people to implement their own code, on their own time, with the belief that they are adding their own unique perspective to further a shared goal. The point of all the above IS NOT that we need one vision, one Linux distro, one way of doing things. I don't want Gnome and KDE to agree on all their differences. I want all the behind the scenes concepts behind how Gnome and KDE function within themselves and with regard to other aspects of OS agreed upon; in essence, standards. Outside of that there is infinite room for individual customization and add-ons, but always a solid base to fallback on and for corporations to be able to rely on.