Are You the Smartest Person in the Room?

As the US Federal Government warns developers to ditch memory-unsafe languages like C and C++ for national security, the data proves that programs written in these languages have fewer defects per thousand lines of code than the alternative languages.

Why it matters: The report on C and C++ is well-founded but fails to account for the massive open-source projects written in C and C++, such as Linux, Mozilla, PostgreSQL, MySQL, and the Apache web server.

• These projects are not safe because of the language choice.

• They are safer and more secure due to the community of developers constantly working on them.

Between the lines: In the old days of software development, the most competent developer would be relied upon to solve the most complex problems while locked away in their office.

• This led to development teams constantly playing “who’s the smartest in the room.”

• It is a game where everyone internally believes they are the smartest and aims to outwit their co-workers with even more clever code.

The result: Taken to the extreme, the smartest person game pinnacled into The International Obfuscated C Code Contest.

• An award for the most creative use of C code.

• For example, one winner created the logic of tic-tac-toe entirely within a single printf call.

A change in philosophy: The open source movement proved that a group of people with varying skills and education could make better software than the most intelligent person in the room.

• Linux and most of the technologies behind the Internet are the result of the community working together instead of in competition with each other.

• Software security firm Kaspersky declared that Linux is safer than other operating systems.

• Turing Award winner Donald Knuth jokes, “I trust my family jewels only to Linux.”

What they’re saying: Chris Dixon details the success of open-source spearheaded blockchain.

• The shift from controlled release to community support is being applied to marketing.

• The community provides network effects exponentially increasing product value due to the equity people feel from being part of the group.

The bottom line: Language choice for software projects is essential.

• However, an open community will beat a closed group of experts in almost anything.