Copied from a Slashdot forum about the DARPA robot challenge...
<http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=100379&cid=8558874>
On Winning (Score:3, Interesting)
by macmurph (622189) on Saturday March 13, @09:11PM (#8558874)
You have to engineer the process of winning, not just the technology to win.
I worked on a solar powered race car that was to cross the country. Our
superior car won the first few days, but eventually crashed.
I learned a lot more about _team work and egos_ [emphasis mine] than I did
about technology. The technology was there, the money was there, the
open-minded cooperation was not there. The car was engineered very well, the
win was not engineered at all.
Re:On Winning (Score:3, Insightful)
by mabu (178417) on Saturday March 13, @11:17PM (#8559514)
You've hit upon a very big issue.
People don't work well together the way they used to. The open source
movement is not an exception. These people all work virtually and at their
own schedule and desire. It's very difficult to find committed people who can
see the "big picture" without having to finance their loyalty.
A good analogy can be found in the music industry. What makes a great band
often has more to do with X number of guys being open-minded and ambitious
AND able to work well together. They may make a lot of mistakes and suck
early on, but if they hang in there, they will prevail (look at Bon Jovi -
talent is obviously not a prerequisite - tolerance is).
[end]
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