Chapter 2. Project Development

The culture's (and my own) understanding of large projects that don't follow a benevolent-dictator model is weak. Most such projects fail. A few become spectacularly successful and important (Perl, Apache, KDE). Nobody really understands where the difference lies.

—Eric S. Raymond, The Cathedral and The Bazaar

The Perl community is rich and diverse. There are as many variations in skill sets and skill levels as there are people. Some are coders, some are testers, some are writers, some are teachers, some are theorists. For every skill, there is a task. It's the combination of all the skills that gets the job done. A team of workers all wielding hammers could never build a house. Someone has to cut the wood, sand it, apply plaster, paint it, and install windows, doors, electrical systems, and plumbing.