Salon's Free Software Project (Part 2)

jsa writes "Salon has released Chapter 2, part 2 of the Free Software Project Book" It's by Andrew Leonard again. He's been busy, it's a long one, but there's lots of cool parts that you probably don't know about (including a gratuitous pinball reference ;)

Comments

Counter Example

[FreeUser]

Free software is good to get things going, but copyright makes it big business and if you look at companies like IBM or Sony, big business can innovate and often does a damn better job than what comes out of somebody's garage.

As others have pointed out, correlation != causation. In the case of the computer boom, one can argue much more plausibly that the commoditization of cheap PC hardware was the primary cause of the boom of computers, and the software which runs on them, than Bill Gates' petty greed or precident setting copyright were. Even before the emergence of Windows as the One and Only Platform sales of PCs were booming, some running DOS, some running MacOS, some running windows, some running Geoworks, etc. etc.

Another counter example is the internet, which was developed with open and free protocols and software implimentations, some in the public domain, some under FreeBSD style licenses, and some under the GLP (all three can reasonably be considered counterpoints to traditional copyright -- they make use of a system they are philisophically opposed to but have no choice in being subject to). None of the software responsible for the infrastructure of the internet, be it USENET news, FTP, IRC, the World Wide Web, or email (SENDMAIL) was commercial. Oh, Sun and others offered commercial clones of some of the products (where the license permitted), but the reference implimentations, and the most widely used versions, were Free. For that matter, they still are, despite overwhelming efforts by various large entities (MS, AOL) to co-opt the net into a distribution channel for their own proprietary products.

The Big Boom in Internet Business appears to be dwarfing the PC boom, stock market fluctuations notwhithstanding. Draconian copyright isn't helping make this happen, it (and other forms of intellectual property such as patents) are actually hampering it and even beginning to threaten it entirely. Examples include Amazon's one click patent vs. Barns and Noble, patents on the RSA algorithm which have seriously hampered the adoption of widespread public key crypto (a prerequisite to online business transactions and contracts), the DMCA and copyright law being used to fragment open standards such as Kerberos, etc.

There is a place for commercial software. I run applix myself, and have used AcceleratedX in the past. I have numerous commercial games, all of which I've paid for. However, that does not mean that IP laws are enhancing progress; indeed to all appearances they seem to be doing the opposite.

Bzzt! Thank you for playing.

[FreeUser]

The internet was founded under public contract, designed for the defense department.

Even then, the Department of Defense required that it be open, with source code available, and threatened to pull defense contracts if the contractors did not comply.

This set the foundation for the modern internet, which was created using open protocols, an open standards process (IETF), and open software.

The internet may have been jump started by an expensive government contract for which a monopolist company happened to win the bid, but it was built collaboratively by developers from numerous universities in a manner which is almost precisely what the open source/free software folks employ today.

Brush up on your history before claiming that the internet was your creation or even created using your methods.

Boy, you must be bitter. What's the matter, MSFT stock options not what you would have liked? Nowhere did I claim to have created the internet, I leave such claims to Al Gore and Bill Gates.[1]

It was not. The internet was created by Big Busines

No. The internet was founded by Big Government spending taxpayer dollars, then built in its modern form by universities collaborating in an open manner using what today is referred to as the "free software" or "open source" paradigm.

Brush up on your history. I've been using the net for 13 years and have had the privelege of watching much of this happen, and your characterization is completely inaccurate and misleading.

[1]Bill Gates actually claimed to have invented the PC during an inverview. He often makes claims to have invented internet services that have been present as free software in one form or another for over a decade.

Big business vs. monopoly

[MaximumBob]

Actually, I think he's right. Big business is not inherently evil. There are evil businesses, but that does not make big business, in itself, evil. I don't think you're successfully picking up on the distinction.

And the Sherman Antitrust Act isn't really about big business. It's about monopolies. There's a difference. A monopoly is a problem because it harms innovation and favors the status quo in its field. Furthermore, it limits the choices of consumers to one.

Big businesses may not be necessary in developing software. Although I'm not convinced on that. But regardless, the open source model demonstrates that it's at least POSSIBLE for quality software to be developed by a group of people outside of a business.

However, there are advantages to big business. You or I could not build a jet. We could not develop the next wonder drug. We could not construct a skyscraper. You know why? Because we don't have that kind of money, and we can't pool that kind of manpower. It takes a business or a government to pool the resources to accomplish things like this -- and in nine out of ten cases, I'd rather have the businesses doing it.

Take a long, hard look, and maybe you'll change your mind about big business.