You're already building on top of open source though - you use Perl, PHP, Apache and Linux, all of which live outside your control.

I've always based my selection of open source components on the health of the community around the product. If there's an active mailing list with lots of other people using it successfully, it's probably a safe bet.

For code that is reused at a higher level, the key thing I look for is clearly defined APIs with a promise of backwards compatibility for future releases. That minimises the chance of future problems after updating to later releases.

These days, I tend to look for projects with a comprehensive set of unit tests that I can run myself - although I have to admit I haven't yet become disciplined enough to use them for all of my own development. The 2000 unit tests that come with Mark Pilgrim's feedparser library ( http://feedparser.org/ ) are a fantastic indication of programming quality a commitment to API stability in the future.

There is a fundamental problem project forking, and when you take on a project built on top of an open source project, you are pretty much forking that project. The main problem is that if a bug is discovered in one branch that relates to code common to all, there doesn't appear to be a good way of transmitting information about that change across all branches that have that code in. Essentailly, when you fork an open source project, you're taking on the development of the entire code below what's new, as well as what is new. As you say, you either port bug fixes and patches from the original version, or you assume that the version you forked is perfect. Obviously the second of these isn't true, so it has got to be the first.

A good compromise would have to be something like porting all the patches that relate to the particular version of the project that you forked (1.4.1 for example). If there's a major new release (1.5, or 2.0), you have to ignore it, or try to implement it underneath what you've written and hope it doesn't break anything. Sure, you'll lose out on functionality that newer versions offer, but as long as the old version is fairly stable, it shouldn't require too much changing.

I know what you mean overall. I got offered the chance to take on a project that involves coding over the top of something open source today. I turned it down, because it wouldn't have been interesting enough.

Don't bring back the welcome message. Leela doesn't know what she's talking about.

I really really really liked the welcome message! I was always rather bemused when I read it-yet it feels so wrong that it is not there! Bring it back!

I don't feel as welcomed any more without that message!

Bah. I liked your welcome message!

Comparing it to other movies i've seen i would have to say it was good hollywood pap though. It shouldn't be compared to real good films like Cinema Paradiso or Magnolia because that would be unfair.

Hmm... don't be too sure those sneaky daleks won't get in and steal your thunder.

Best... soppy wet sinking boat movie starring the bloke who played the Phantom in the film that bombed... ever

But but it had like lots of water which is cool. A BIG boat thing, loads of dead people including di caprio and a great soppy love story thing. It was a good soppy love story thing... but not so great a follow up to T2 or true lies.

Scary!

(It's November 1st now...)

I'm guessing when you said 1st nov for TCMI you actually meant 1st dec because you believe christmas starts when advent does, unlike the shops who say it started a few weeks ago.

Due to a surplus of dead wasps it seems prudent to paint them orange and donate them to the halloween cause. - That scarey enough for Radiac?

TCMI..... Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!

OOOh YAY for TCMI time... pity the music will be exactly the same as last year and the year before that... *sigh*

/runs away scared....

Like the halloween decorations. Wont be long till TCMI time ;-p