bitreich-manifesto

name	bitreich-manifesto
description	Bitreich manifesto and principles for simple, reusable, maintainable software, command-line interfaces, patch-driven collaboration, and programmer-oriented tools.

Bitreich Manifesto

Introduction

We live surrounded by complex software which receives new versions and updates day after day. RAM and CPU consumption never reduce, they in‐ crease. Software still provides the same features from years ago, but everything looks new. This is called »advance« in the new speak of pro‐ prietary software development.

This has to change!

Suckless

Suckless failed.

Consumerism

Consumerism is the ability of persons to lose their skill in thinking on their own, producing things, applying logical and practical ways of be‐ having. This disease of consumerism is striking the devices and comput‐ ers we humans produced to make them not scale in the possibilities they could be used for. Computers can do things consumers cannot want and imagine before they use the computer for something. The market economy of demand and supply does simply not work here.

UNIX Principles

In the beginning of the development of software principles were intro‐ duced how to create software which can be reused in ways the original developers never imagined. Small utilities are combined using simple pipes, speaking to eachother, just doing one task well.

Dawn Of Ugliness

By not applying this methodology to its extreme, by trying to force new features of computers into the UNIX principles, binary blobs evolved into a complexity no young programmer can understand. They are forced into the industry due to »life events«, where they are degrading to robots which only apply what they learned at programming school (e.g. life, university ...). This circle is producing even bigger binary blobs. Nowadays this evolved into shipping whole operating systems in images which you run separately.

This has to end!

Bitreich

We form a movement to improve our daily software life. Software has to not misbehave, it has to follow our rules, it has to be reusable, it has to be easily maintainable, it has to provide its recompilable source and it has to be easily understandable.

Bitreich Principles

KISP – Keep It Simple Perfect

Software needs to do one thing well / perfect.

Commandline Interfaces

Always add a commandline interface to your software. Graphical User In‐ terfaces are for sissies. Pipes are welcome.

When Possible Use GPLv3

The signs of MIT‐appearance in the community is based on the circle of complexity introduced into the minds of libre software programmers by their oppressors transferring money to their bank accounts every month. Your software is used in war machines to kill people and the companies will never give back. So enforce GPLv3, it’s needed.

Users Are Programmers

Software should be written for programmers, which means the code is the documentation, it should be easy readable, low abstraction levels should be used (OOP sucks most of the times) and a simple Makefile to build everything needs to be present.

Bugreports Are Patches

Bugtrackers are obsolete. Whenever you find a bug, fix it. The other principles make it possible for you to send a patch instead of a report.

Applications Can Be Done

When a project solves a problem, keep it done and declare it so. New problems are solved by different projects.

Freedom Of Language

The software world is spammed with new revolutionary programming lan‐ guages every month. Choose whatever you need to solve your problem, but keep to the above mentioned principles. Most new programming languages solve a non‐problem the principles of bitreich solve.

Inevitability Of Change

These principles can change, based on the consent of the bitreich elite