Add entry about bikesheds.
PR: 20009 Submitted by: Brooks Davis <brooks@one-eyed-alien.net> Discussed with: sheldonh and ben in the audit-trail of the PR.
This commit is contained in:
Alexander Langer
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<pubdate>$FreeBSD: doc/en_US.ISO_8859-1/books/faq/book.sgml,v 1.72 2000/07/16 20:39:43 ben Exp $</pubdate>
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<pubdate>$FreeBSD: doc/en_US.ISO_8859-1/books/faq/book.sgml,v 1.73 2000/07/18 19:03:21 ben Exp $</pubdate>
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<abstract>
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<abstract>
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<para>This is the FAQ for FreeBSD versions 2.X, 3.X, and 4.X. All entries
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<para>This is the FAQ for FreeBSD versions 2.X, 3.X, and 4.X. All entries
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@ -8834,6 +8834,83 @@ repository, rather than using the <command>cvs</command> program.</para>
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</answer></qandaentry>
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</answer></qandaentry>
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<qandaentry>
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<question>
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<para>Why should I care what color the bikeshed is?</para>
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</question>
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<answer>
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<para>The really, really short answer is that you shouldn't.
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The somewhat longer answer is that just because you are
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capable of building a bikeshed doesn't mean you should stop
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others from building one just because you don't like the
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color they plan to paint it. This is a metaphor indicating
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that you need not argue about every little feature just
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because you know enough to do so. Some people have
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commented that the amount of noise generated by a change is
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inversely proportional to the complexity of the
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change.</para>
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<para>The longer and more complete answer is that after a very
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long argument about whether &man.sleep.1; should take
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fractional second arguments, Poul-Henning Kamp posted a long
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message entitled <quote><ulink url="http://www.FreeBSD.org/cgi/getmsg.cgi?fetch=506636+517178+/usr/local/www/db/text/1999/freebsd-hackers/19991003.freebsd-hackers">A
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bike shed (any colour will do) on greener
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grass...</ulink></quote>. The appropriate portions of that
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message are quoted below.</para>
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<blockquote>
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<attribution>Poul-Henning Kamp on freebsd-hackers, October
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2, 1999</attribution>
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<para><quote>What is it about this bike shed?</quote> Some
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of you have asked me.</para>
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<para>It's a long story, or rather it's an old story, but
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it is quite short actually. C. Northcote Parkinson wrote
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a book in the early 1960'ies, called <quote>Parkinson's
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Law</quote>, which contains a lot of insight into the
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dynamics of management.</para>
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<para>[snip a bit of commentary on the book]</para>
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<para>In the specific example involving the bike shed, the
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other vital component is an atomic power-plant, I guess
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that illustrates the age of the book.</para>
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<para>Parkinson shows how you can go in to the board of
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directors and get approval for building a multi-million or
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even billion dollar atomic power plant, but if you want to
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build a bike shed you will be tangled up in endless
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discussions.</para>
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<para>Parkinson explains that this is because an atomic
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plant is so vast, so expensive and so complicated that
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people cannot grasp it, and rather than try, they fall
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back on the assumption that somebody else checked all the
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details before it got this far. Richard P. Feynmann
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gives a couple of interesting, and very much to the point,
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examples relating to Los Alamos in his books.</para>
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<para>A bike shed on the other hand. Anyone can build one
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of those over a weekend, and still have time to watch the
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game on TV. So no matter how well prepared, no matter how
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reasonable you are with your proposal, somebody will seize
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the chance to show that he is doing his job, that he is
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paying attention, that he is
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<emphasis>here</emphasis>.</para>
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<para>In Denmark we call it <quote>setting your
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fingerprint</quote>. It is about personal pride and
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prestige, it is about being able to point somewhere and
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say <quote>There! <emphasis>I</emphasis> did that.</quote>
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It is a strong trait in politicians, but present in most
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people given the chance. Just think about footsteps in
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wet cement.</para>
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</blockquote>
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</answer>
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</qandaentry>
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<qandaentry><question>
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<qandaentry><question>
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<para>How many FreeBSD hackers does it take to change a lightbulb?</para></question><answer>
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<para>How many FreeBSD hackers does it take to change a lightbulb?</para></question><answer>
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@ -13,7 +13,7 @@
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</author>
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</author>
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</authorgroup>
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</authorgroup>
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<pubdate>$FreeBSD: doc/en_US.ISO_8859-1/books/faq/book.sgml,v 1.72 2000/07/16 20:39:43 ben Exp $</pubdate>
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<pubdate>$FreeBSD: doc/en_US.ISO_8859-1/books/faq/book.sgml,v 1.73 2000/07/18 19:03:21 ben Exp $</pubdate>
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<abstract>
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<abstract>
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<para>This is the FAQ for FreeBSD versions 2.X, 3.X, and 4.X. All entries
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<para>This is the FAQ for FreeBSD versions 2.X, 3.X, and 4.X. All entries
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@ -8834,6 +8834,83 @@ repository, rather than using the <command>cvs</command> program.</para>
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</answer></qandaentry>
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</answer></qandaentry>
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<qandaentry>
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<question>
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<para>Why should I care what color the bikeshed is?</para>
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</question>
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<answer>
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<para>The really, really short answer is that you shouldn't.
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The somewhat longer answer is that just because you are
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|
capable of building a bikeshed doesn't mean you should stop
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|
others from building one just because you don't like the
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|
color they plan to paint it. This is a metaphor indicating
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|
that you need not argue about every little feature just
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because you know enough to do so. Some people have
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|
commented that the amount of noise generated by a change is
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|
inversely proportional to the complexity of the
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change.</para>
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|
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<para>The longer and more complete answer is that after a very
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long argument about whether &man.sleep.1; should take
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|
fractional second arguments, Poul-Henning Kamp posted a long
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message entitled <quote><ulink url="http://www.FreeBSD.org/cgi/getmsg.cgi?fetch=506636+517178+/usr/local/www/db/text/1999/freebsd-hackers/19991003.freebsd-hackers">A
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bike shed (any colour will do) on greener
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grass...</ulink></quote>. The appropriate portions of that
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message are quoted below.</para>
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<blockquote>
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<attribution>Poul-Henning Kamp on freebsd-hackers, October
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2, 1999</attribution>
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<para><quote>What is it about this bike shed?</quote> Some
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of you have asked me.</para>
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<para>It's a long story, or rather it's an old story, but
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it is quite short actually. C. Northcote Parkinson wrote
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a book in the early 1960'ies, called <quote>Parkinson's
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Law</quote>, which contains a lot of insight into the
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dynamics of management.</para>
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<para>[snip a bit of commentary on the book]</para>
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<para>In the specific example involving the bike shed, the
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other vital component is an atomic power-plant, I guess
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that illustrates the age of the book.</para>
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|
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<para>Parkinson shows how you can go in to the board of
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directors and get approval for building a multi-million or
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even billion dollar atomic power plant, but if you want to
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build a bike shed you will be tangled up in endless
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discussions.</para>
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<para>Parkinson explains that this is because an atomic
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plant is so vast, so expensive and so complicated that
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people cannot grasp it, and rather than try, they fall
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back on the assumption that somebody else checked all the
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details before it got this far. Richard P. Feynmann
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gives a couple of interesting, and very much to the point,
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examples relating to Los Alamos in his books.</para>
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<para>A bike shed on the other hand. Anyone can build one
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of those over a weekend, and still have time to watch the
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game on TV. So no matter how well prepared, no matter how
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reasonable you are with your proposal, somebody will seize
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the chance to show that he is doing his job, that he is
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paying attention, that he is
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<emphasis>here</emphasis>.</para>
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<para>In Denmark we call it <quote>setting your
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fingerprint</quote>. It is about personal pride and
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prestige, it is about being able to point somewhere and
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say <quote>There! <emphasis>I</emphasis> did that.</quote>
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It is a strong trait in politicians, but present in most
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people given the chance. Just think about footsteps in
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wet cement.</para>
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</blockquote>
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</answer>
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</qandaentry>
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<qandaentry><question>
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<qandaentry><question>
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<para>How many FreeBSD hackers does it take to change a lightbulb?</para></question><answer>
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<para>How many FreeBSD hackers does it take to change a lightbulb?</para></question><answer>
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