> I agree, but the response from certain Linux developers is that
> "the source code is self documenting". Ya right. None of the
> kernel source code would pass a review at any company I know of,
> or even be accepted as a college/university assignment.
yep, probably. But i wouldnt call this a bad thing ... to be more exact, i
consider this as one of the main strengths of Linux.
> Linus refuses to impose strict style and documenting practices.
> I understand his views on these, but I don't agree with them.
think about it ... how much energy does it take to implement 1.0 units of
abstract ideas in Linux? Lets define it as 1.0 mental energy. How much
energy does it take to do the same with strict style and strict
documentation? at least 3.0 mental energy, but i guess the aforementioned
companies or universities are able to push this cost up to 10.0.
and there is a point where human brain starts 'swapping'. The complexity
limit of this scales invers propotional with the above needed mental
energy to implement some abstract stuff.
to make this more clear: for example David S. Miller implemented the core
of the new networking stuff (have you seen those K6 lmbench numbers posted
recently to linux-kernel?) in 1 day (after lots of heavy thinking). I say
such an effort is plain impossible and unaffordable for any commercial
entity, with strict source control, style and documentation rules.
Same applies to the new dentry stuff. Commercial OS vendors invest
billions of dollars a year into their systems, and Linus implements this
new revolutionary technique (not present in any OS i'm aware of) which
also impacts 60% of the core kernel in ... 2 weeks? Those OSs (Unices,
WinNT) are already over a certain limit, they are way too complicated to
be really _hacked_. And Linus does a very good job keeping the kernel
_hackable_. [Linux is already more complex than any OS on this world i'm
quite sure. Of course there are other OSs with millions of lines of code,
which are more _complicated_, but thats a different thing ;)]
sure we pay a price for not being strict, but we win alot of flexibility
as well.
-- mingo