[prog] "Show us the code" and working in Free Software

[Mary]

So since my analogy with Jimen's argument has managed to derail and
become  quibble in its own right:

Martin Pool roughly supports my take on it:

http://www.advogato.org/person/mbp/diary.html?start=227

    Excerpt:

    The motto "show me the code" doesn't literally mean that source code
    is the only acceptable demonstration. Other phrases that get at the
    same idea are "talk is cheap" and (my current favourite) "all hat
    and no cattle". (That doesn't, by the way, mean that you need to
    literally own cows to get respect.)

    For a meritocracy to be meaningful, people's contributions have to
    be visible in some way that can be assessed by their peers. This can
    be in ways other than code: artwork, writing, speaking, web sites,
    and organizing conferences spring to mind.

The "talk is cheap" is a better summation of the original point I was
making to Jimen.

-Mary