An undiscovered island

Imagine, if you will, that we have landed on the sandy shores of an undiscovered island. Not just us but a number of other expedition shave also landed on the same golden shore line. Before us lies the think green undergrowth that marks the edge of a deep dark forest beyond which lies a mountain, the highest point on the island. All the expeditions, each with their own characteristics and peculiarities, decide that we should explore the island and head towards the distant mountain. But how to get there? Each group has their own ideas of which ways they should go; head in land from where we first landed, explore the coast line more, look for a river or just head into the

We each set of on our different route but we agree to keep in contact with each other via radio and to help each other if we can. As the expeditions advance, each on their own route following their own ideas, we make progress into the unknown. As we learn new things about the island we pass on the information; the animals we find, the lie of the land, food and water supplies. Each group makes progress but each runs into problems. When a group has difficulty the other try and help them out. Some times it can mean change in course as one group find an easy path and informs groups that have met with impenetrable forest. So times it just advice; look out for a eye plants!


I see a future society working like this; one that does not fear differences and has to make everyone the same but acknowledges deliverances and see the advantages they can bring. A society that lets people live their own life but bring them together when needed to help each other.


Although each group has its differences we all have a common goal. Through acknowledging our differences we gain strength. Knowledge learnt in one group helps another and visa verse. As no one group knows the right way forward having differences allows us to search different alternatives as we all head for the same goal. Through working together on the points we have in common allows to maximise our resources on a focused area. Through networking we gain the advantage s of multiple approaches and strength though numbers.

In engineering we would call this approach of exploring the unknown prototyping. In software engineering we would call it forking.