Like most open source projects, CVS is maintained by an unofficial meritocracy: a group of programmers (mostly volunteers) whose only qualification is a proven ability to fix bugs and add features safely.  In such arrangements, there are always a few people who stand out for their technical competence, their intimacy with the innards of the software, and their willingness to jump in and solve problems.  They are the ones the others look to for guidance. Among the currently active CVS developers, I can think of two such people, and Derek Price is one of them.  To anyone needing CVS support, his deep familiarity with CVS means that he can diagnose a problem quickly, and fix the code itself when necessary.  If I depended on CVS for business, I'd make sure I knew Derek's phone number.

         - Karl Fogel, CVS Developer, 1995-2000, and the author of Open Source Development with CVS

I have found Derek Price to be knowledgeable concerning all aspects of CVS.  When I stopped being actively involved in CVS development, I was pleased to see Derek take such a role in bug fixing, making releases, reviewing patches, and other aspects of CVS development.  It meant to me that CVS was in good hands.

         - Jim Kingdon, CVS Developer, 1994-2000