To reply to point three, which is the only one not containing an ad hominem...
There exist several larger OSS projects, such as Apache, Boost, the Kernel, etc, which accept contributions but are also curated. Thus they represent sort of hybrid between cathedral and bazaar. People who use these projects know they are getting some (varying) standard of quality.
I think these sorts of projects -- often shepherded by some kind of noncommercial Foundation or Organization -- are the best way to get a mix of openness and quality going forward.
Those are essentially ESR's original, canonical examples of "bazaar" projects. They're not middle-of-the-road. They're precisely what he meant by "bazaar".
There exist several larger OSS projects, such as Apache, Boost, the Kernel, etc, which accept contributions but are also curated. Thus they represent sort of hybrid between cathedral and bazaar. People who use these projects know they are getting some (varying) standard of quality.
I think these sorts of projects -- often shepherded by some kind of noncommercial Foundation or Organization -- are the best way to get a mix of openness and quality going forward.