Of course, the very fabric of the Internet is woven with free software. Eric Raymond thinks he can explain the apparent paradox. Practitioners of the cathedral style of software development, according to Raymond, work in small groups, behind closed doors, to produce infrequent major releases that are claimed to be definitive. Other exemplars of the cathedral school might include Microsoft and Lotus. The driving force is prestige in the eyes of the Linux community, according to Raymond.
Hackers crave recognition above all else.
Linus Torvalds is not only an ace kernel hacker, but, more important, a brilliant leader who knows how to harness and satisfy that craving. Management style alone cannot ac-count for the huge success of Linux, however. What makes Linux as solid as it has become is the wide distribution and ongoing study of its source code. We just want to install them easily and have them work as advertised. We want documentation that's helpful.