Code is code. Well, some people say it’s just data, but if we’re talking about the common perception of code, it’s not just data, it’s data that does something.
In this particular context, code is the purpose that brings us together. While often the product of the code – some software project that Does Useful Things – is the driving factor, for some individuals it’s just the code itself that brings them here.
A key point to remember is that while code is what we do, it’s the community that’s almost more important. Code built by a group working with consensus is more likely to be useful over a period of time than that built by disparate individuals.