Giant Open Source

摘要

Sir Isaac Newton-the bane of many physics and calculus students-is famous for the statement, "If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants." Actually, Bernard of Chartres reportedly said something similar 300 years earlier, but Sir Newton evidently had a better press agent, so he gets the credit. Two things make standing on giants easier today than ever. Open source software provides us with a wealth of ready-to-use code, and the Internet places all of that code just a few mouse-clicks away.