Eric S. Raymond
Overview
 
Eric Steven Raymond often referred to as ESR, is an American computer programmer, author and open source software advocate. After the 1997 publication of The Cathedral and the Bazaar
The Cathedral and the Bazaar
The Cathedral and the Bazaar is an essay by Eric S. Raymond on software engineering methods, based on his observations of the Linux kernel development process and his experiences managing an open source project, fetchmail. It examines the struggle between top-down and bottom-up design...

, Raymond was for a number of years frequently quoted as an unofficial spokesman for the open source movement
Open source movement
The open source movement is a broad-reaching movement of individuals who feel that software should be produced altruistically. Open source software is made available for anybody to use or modify, as its source code is made available. The software use is subject only to the stipulation that any...

. He is also known for his 1990 edit and later updates of the Jargon File
Jargon File
The Jargon File is a glossary of computer programmer slang. The original Jargon File was a collection of terms from technical cultures such as the MIT AI Lab, the Stanford AI Lab and others of the old ARPANET AI/LISP/PDP-10 communities, including Bolt, Beranek and Newman, Carnegie Mellon...

, currently in print as the The New Hacker's Dictionary.
Quotations

Given enough eyeballs, all bugs are shallow.

The Cathedral and the Bazaar|The Cathedral and the Bazaar

Anybody who has ever owned a dog who barked when strangers came near its owner's property has experienced the essential continuity between animal territoriality and human property. Our domesticated cousins of the wolf are instinctively smarter about this than a good many human political theorists.

Homesteading the Noosphere|Homesteading the Noosphere

Damn straight I took it personally. And if you ever again behave like that kind of disruptive asshole in public, insult me, and jeopardize the interests of our entire tribe, I'll take it just as personally -- and I will find a way to make you regret it. Watch your step.

Private letter to Bruce Perens

Lisp is worth learning for the profound enlightenment experience you will have when you finally get it; that experience will make you a better programmer for the rest of your days, even if you never actually use Lisp itself a lot.

How to Become a Hacker|How to Become a Hacker

Good programmers know what to write. Great ones know what to rewrite (and reuse).

The Cathedral and the Bazaar|The Cathedral and the Bazaar

 
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