http://blog.objectmentor.com/articles/2009/03/10/lets-hear-it-for-the-zealots
"Michael Feathers who wrote a book defining Legacy code as code without tests – hardly a moderate point of view"
Philip Schwarz about 2 hours later: @Uncle Bob You said: People who excel are, by definition, zealots. People who aren’t zealous, do not excel.
I can’t help quoting the following Pattern I read in Software for Your Head:
Pattern: The Greatness Cycle
Problem: Mediocrity
Solution: Smartness leads to greatness, via presence, integrity, conflict, and passion
Greatness is conceived in your intention to achieve at an appropriate scale; it is born in the application of integrity; it flourishes in your navigation of conflict; and it matures in the vitality of your passion.
The GreatnessCycle is an important group behavior cycle. It is simple to understand, but difficult to practice. Its phases are as follows:
1.Smart people are present no matter what they are doing. ...Smart people will exploit the fact that the deeper one’s presence in any given moment, the more valuable the moment.
2.Presence leads to integrity. ...A lack of integrity and the fullness of personal presence are mutually exclusive. That is, a high level of presence is always accompanied by a comparable level of integrity.
3.Integrity leads to conflict. ...Individual integrity doesn’t automatically bind together individuals, but those persons will deal forthrightly with the differences that arise. To do less whether to avoid a conflict, to gloss over it, or to deal with it surreptitiously is to lack integrity. The maintenance of integrity leads to conflict.
4.Conflict leads to passion. If you care enough to weather the direct, honest conflict with your colleagues that flows from your practice of integrity, then you must care a great deal indeed. The emotions you feel when issues you care about are threatened will intensify into passion. Conflict is catalyzed by caring, and summons passion.
5.Passion leads to greatness. Passionate living provides the power to do great things. Though it neither mandates nor guarantees it, passion always attends greatness.From "Software for You Head":
http://books.google.com.au/books?id=LgHHfzec33UC&pg=RA3-PA4
