We Don't Need Another Hero? The Impact of "Heroes" on Software Development

A software project has "Hero Developers" when 80% of contributions are delivered by 20% of the developers. Are such heroes a good idea? Are too many heroes bad for software quality? Is it better to have more/less heroes for different kinds of projects? To answer these questions, we studied 661 open source projects from Public open source software (OSS) Github and 171 projects from an Enterprise Github. We find that hero projects are very common. In fact, as projects grow in size, nearly all project become hero projects. These findings motivated us to look more closely at the effects of heroes on software development. Analysis shows that the frequency to close issues and bugs are not significantly affected by the presence of project type (Public or Enterprise). Similarly, the time needed to resolve an issue/bug/enhancement is not affected by heroes or project type. This is a surprising result since, before looking at the data, we expected that increasing heroes on a project will slow down howfast that project reacts to change. However, we do find a statistically significant association between heroes, project types, and enhancement resolution rates. Heroes do not affect enhancement resolution rates in Public projects. However, in Enterprise projects, the more heroes increase the rate at which project complete enhancements. In summary, our empirical results call for a revision of a long-held truism in software engineering. Software heroes are far more common and valuable than suggested by the literature, particularly for medium to large Enterprise developments. Organizations should reflect on better ways to find and retain more of these heroesComment: 8 pages + 1 references, Accepted to International conference on Software Engineering - Software Engineering in Practice, 201

All Shall Fade: Homer\u27s Foreshadowing of the End of the Heroic Age in The Iliad

Homer\u27s epic poems are filled with demi-gods and great heroes. However, in The Iliad, Homer undermines the triumph of these heroes by foreshadowing the end of their age and the forthcoming time of mortals. This essay examines how Achilleus\u27 shield, Nestor\u27s longevity, Paris\u27 effeminate nature, and Odysseus\u27 reliance on craftiness rather than physical prowess all indicate the rapid advance of the age of mortal men

The Concept of "Self" and the "Other" in Western Movies

Melodrama has been a part of the American life since colonial time. This genre, with its \u27hero-villain\u27 or \u27black and white\u27 development of characters, has formed the idea of the American heroes. In Western films, in which the \u27local\u27 themes of westward movement on the American society are developed, melodrama treats the dichotomy of hero-villain more stereotypically. The heroes depict the concept of the American \u27self\u27 and the villains picture the \u27other.\u27 However, the development of Western film shows that the stereotypical treatment on \u27self\u27 and the \u27other\u27 undergoes some changes

The Manager’s Dilemma: Role Conflict in Marketing

Norris Brisco, Melvin Copeland, Henry Erdman, Benjamin Hibbard, George Hotchkiss, Leverett Lyon, Stanley Resor, Clarence Saunders, Harry Tosdal, Roland Vaile: Who are these people? They are great men in the history of marketing, according to Wright and Dinsdale (1974). They are marketing heroes. But riot society’s heroes. Rather than hero, the marketing man is usually a villain in novels; he is the butt of jokes; and respondents to surveys think poorly of him.conflict, marketing, manager

Heroes of Berlin Wall Struggle

When the Berlin Wall fell 25 years ago, on Nov. 9, 1989, symbolically signaling the end of the Cold War, it was no surprise that many credited President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev for bringing it down. But the true heroes behind the fall of the Berlin Wall are those Eastern Europeans whose protests and political pressure started chipping away at the wall years before. East German citizens from a variety of political backgrounds and occupations risked their freedom in protests against communist policies and one-party rule in what they called the peaceful revolution. [excerpt

There\u27s A Million Heroes in Each Corner of the U.S.A

[Verse 1] Virginia gave us Washington, way back in Sev’nty six Kentucky gave us Lincoln when our boys were in a fix Ohio gave us Grant and Dixie gave us Lee They fought it out and patched it up and made our history If you asked Uncle Sammy who could take their place today He’d rub his chin and with a grin he’d answer in this way. [Chorus] There’s a million heroes in each corner of the U.S.A. In cities and farms They’ve taken up arms The East and West have sent their best the rest are coming from the land of cotton You can bank on ev’ry loyal Yank to fight till the end of the fray When danger threatens they all rally ‘round That’s why the flag has never touched the ground There’s a million heroes in each corner of the U.S.A. [Verse 2] Columbus found America the home of peace and rest And Betsy Ross she found a flag to stand each battle test Tho’ heroes of the past have laid away the gun Their spirits live within the hearts of ev’ry native son Our flag is just as clean today as when it first was made each stripe and star a battle scar and still I’m not afraid. [Chorus