It takes a village to... solve a problem

Software solves abstract problems. Take communication, for example. How do I send my ideas to a friend? This problem has been solved dozens of times through email, IM, texting, voice calls, video calls, web-pages, wikis, rss feeds, social networks etc. Each solution has slight nuances which cause different people to use it in different ways and situations. To find effective solutions to complex problems we must be willing to listen. We all navigate solution spaces differently. The best solution is bound to be found more quickly by a crowd, then an individual. So as the software industry matures, we must construct a tolerant environment in which un-orthodox solutions are allowed to mature and compete on their own right. After all, where would we be now if assembly purists had been allowed to relegate compilers to the fringe of research just because they were different?