The Linux source code is estimated to be over 30 millions lines of code which, using conventional methods, would have taken almost 8,000 person years at a cost of over $1 trillion
First, we can’t count the number of lines? We can only estimate?
Second, that works out to $33,333 per line of code. Holy fuck. Really? Writing a driver for the freaking Sound Blaster card was a million dollar project?
It’s also hard to square that number with 8000 person years. Figure a $100K salary. That pays for 3 lines of code per year. But times 8000 that means the Linux kernel can only be 24000 lines of code.
I don’t agree with the final number either, but a line of code rewritten and analyzed 100 times is worth about 100 times as much as a line of code written and forgotten. Architecture is valuable. Code review is valuable. And final lines of code written is a terrible metric for anything.
the referenced Wheeler article appears to be about redhat 7.1.. the whole distro! The linked article sure did make a leap from that to just the kernel, and oddly increased the cost too.
Following the supporting link in parent, I notice the original claim is for a billion dollar price tag; “It would cost over $1 billion (a Gigabuck) to develop this Linux distribution by conventional proprietary means in the U.S. (in year 2000 U.S. dollars).”
First, we can’t count the number of lines? We can only estimate?
Second, that works out to $33,333 per line of code. Holy fuck. Really? Writing a driver for the freaking Sound Blaster card was a million dollar project?
It’s also hard to square that number with 8000 person years. Figure a $100K salary. That pays for 3 lines of code per year. But times 8000 that means the Linux kernel can only be 24000 lines of code.
I don’t agree with the final number either, but a line of code rewritten and analyzed 100 times is worth about 100 times as much as a line of code written and forgotten. Architecture is valuable. Code review is valuable. And final lines of code written is a terrible metric for anything.
the referenced Wheeler article appears to be about redhat 7.1.. the whole distro! The linked article sure did make a leap from that to just the kernel, and oddly increased the cost too.
“Now there’s an implausible-sounding claim!”
Following the supporting link in parent, I notice the original claim is for a billion dollar price tag; “It would cost over $1 billion (a Gigabuck) to develop this Linux distribution by conventional proprietary means in the U.S. (in year 2000 U.S. dollars).”
Seems much plausible and supported, see:
http://www.dwheeler.com/sloc/