“Most observers see free software development as a vine–and not
a particularly pretty one. They watch as the code for various free
software projects extends tendrils in odd directions, puts down
roots wherever it finds a friendly resting point, and generally
seems to grow with no thought or planning. Linux, for instance, was
criticized a few weeks ago for lacking a ‘roadmap.’“True, few free software projects can boast a formal structure
of user requirements, schedules, test plans, and so forth. But does
this mean that user requirements are not specified, that the
software does not benefit from thorough testing, and that in
general there is no point of contact between open source and
traditional software engineering…?”