Communities Vs. Teams: Open Source Needs Both

“Some of this thinking arose from talk about some of the
gloomier prospects for MySQL, speculation which goes as far back as
Sun’s purchase of the company. What good is the software without
the team of people who built it? It’s difficult to replace the
synergy you get from such people (and I hate that word, but it’s
really the only one that fits) with folks who have been largely on
the outside looking in.

“Likewise, you also can’t replace the outside community of users
and contributors with an inside team. The perspective you get from
the community often isn’t anything like what you get from the core
developers — and that’s precisely why it’s so valuable. Each sees
things the other doesn’t.”

Complete Story