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Domain: digitalagora.com
Stories and comments across the archive that link to digitalagora.com.
Comments · 8
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DEMOCRACYI work with others on a website called Digital Agora which is intended to work towards the democratisation of the Internet by creating an open forum of communication.
It soon becomes apparent though that merely creating a space is not enough. It is actually quite limiting communicating within the confines of the web. So personally I think ease of web use is not the be all.
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Re:Looking for proof.We say look at the underlying political position. Theres no such thing as truth only interpretation..
We are running an interview series with key figures in the Open Source movement and have got up the first notable, none other than Eric S. Raymond himself.
As we are politically inclined, and readers might not be, they may think we're asking him the wrong questions, perhaps, but we are interested in what connections he sees in Open Source and the world at large (if any)
See Raymond's own views on Linux and propaganda at at our site
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Re:Looking for proof.We say look at the underlying political position. Theres no such thing as truth only interpretation..
We are running an interview series with key figures in the Open Source movement and have got up the first notable, none other than Eric S. Raymond himself.
As we are politically inclined, and readers might not be, they may think we're asking him the wrong questions, perhaps, but we are interested in what connections he sees in Open Source and the world at large (if any)
See Raymond's own views on Linux and propaganda at at our site
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ESR InterviewHi, we are running an interview series with key figures in the Open Source movement and have got up the first notable, none other than Eric S. Raymond himself.
As we are politically inclined readers might think we're asking him the wrong questions, perhaps, but we are interested in what connections he sees in Open Source and the world at large (if any)
Feel free to point browser at DIGITALAGORA.COM
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ESR InterviewHi, we are running an interview series with key figures in the Open Source movement and have got up the first notable, none other than Eric S. Raymond himself.
As we are politically inclined readers might think we're asking him the wrong questions, perhaps, but we are interested in what connections he sees in Open Source and the world at large (if any)
Feel free to point browser at DIGITALAGORA.COM
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Re:Technology is Politics
We are trying. But it is very very difficult to develop a real forum for debate that doesn't go round in circles or lose itself due to nesting and other text tricks.
Any ideas/software suggestions would be appreciated email to editor@digitalagora.com
Thanks
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Technology is PoliticsI think it is important that technologists realise the importance of politics to technology. The centres of power cannot simply be ignored and difficult questions about where technology is leading us and where we want it to lead us need to be addressed particularly by those who understand the technology.
This is especially crucial when politicians start to introduce crazy new laws (DMCA anyone?) without any deeper understanding of the implications.
People claiming that Open Source must remain apolitical and neutral are naive. To address this subject we are running an open debate on technology and politics on our website digitalagora.com and would welcome your comments and debate.
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GEEK ACTIVISM
Re: Geek Activism
I was moved to reply to your recent article on Geek Activism on CNET due to what I consider to be the dangerous political naivety of the piece. Advocating that people should step back from challenging the political and legal system in favour of computer programming is the most ignorant and ineffectual suggestion I can possibly imagine. Allowing the decisions of others to be made without debate or contestation in a political arena results in poor decisions being made, unrepresentative political systems and at worst the danger of a minority imposing their views on the rest of us. Do you really believe that people programming at computer keyboards can change the world? That is the simplistic utopian belief that technology can somehow free us without recourse to the political system. I would suggest you look carefully at the recent case of the prosecution of the Norwegian teenager Jon Johansen for his role in creating DeCSS software (and under the pressure of the US government no less), see digitalagora.com for more info.
Black Civil Rights activists, the Women's movement, Anti-war protesters, and even geeks have to actually get up (and well away from the computer keyboard) to force change and fight for a more equitable political system. I agree that email on its own may be ineffectual, but creating lobbying websites, educating people and writing to political leaders, lobbying companies, newspapers and magazines all contribute to a debate that can have profound effect on the decisions of politicians.
The ability of individuals to obtain and read facts free from licenses, coercive copyright restrictions, corporate censorship (maintained by the use of copyright law) and other attempts to control information, reduces people's ability to obtain information and make up their own mind. The space where people can read and communicate with others, which includes the Internet but is not limited to it, is a public sphere, a space of public deliberation, it is vital to the maintenance of a modern democratic state and this is being slowly eroded.
We should be encouraging people to take part in this political debate to set policy with regard to technology and fight to widen access to information and indeed to technology itself.
Regards
David Berry david@locarecords.com