...The discussion on the Java.net and JavaBlogs shows some classic tensions between a commercial software vendor, which wants to support a community of developers, and developer community, who self-organize, and want support from the commercial vendors.
It will be interesting to see how the communities evolve. Will there be syndication and federation techniques that bridge communities in different locations, or will developers choose affiliations?
Meanwhile, this is a strong sign of commercial interest in the value of weblog and wiki tools in supporting developer communities.
As with the hybrids between independent blogging and traditional journalism, the interesting question isn't the "purity" of any model. It's the process of evolution at work creating new variants. The most compelling new variants will survive.
[via BookBlog]
Community bridging already occurs through RSS and Federation. Java.net RSS feeds are easily added to JavaBlogs. Sure, more can be done. But that's the beauty of these simple blog protocols, they open communities. You wouldn't have this level of discussion and interchange between communities on a Bulletin Board based community.
