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Open Source Methods Useful Way Beyond Software

Posted by Zonk on from the spreading-the-word dept.

Tom Steinberg writes "Former head of policy at the British Prime Minister's office, Geoff Mulgan, has co-authored a paper on uses of Open Source methods in arenas far beyond the normal Sourceforge universe. The paper is jointly written with Tom Steinberg, head of UK civic hacking fraternity mySociety and explores the use of open source methods to improve academic peer review, drafting of legislation and even media regulation."

3 of 193 comments (clear)

  1. In a democracy/republic by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Isn't the law already open source? Sure, there are maintainers, but it's possible to submit changes and get them approved.

  2. Deconstruction of Falling Source by Tackhead · · Score: 3, Interesting
    > explores the use of open source methods to improve academic peer review, drafting of legislation and even media regulation."

    Because we all know that professors, lawyers, and, um, more lawyers, are all interested in getting ideas from outside sources.

    With the exception of math/science/engineering academicians, none of the above have any real interest in improving the peer review process.

    Delenn: "John Sheridan was a good and kind and decent man."
    Academician: "You came all this way just to say that?"
    Delenn: "You came just as far to say less."
    Academician: "But this is extraordinary. There's so much more we'd like to ask you. So much more we'd like to know."
    Delenn: "You do not wish to know anything. You wish only to speak. That which you know, you ignore because it is inconvenient. That which you do not know, you invent."

    - Babylon 5, The Deconstruction of Falling Stars

  3. Re:Duh by lionheart1327 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I know I'll probably get modded down for this because of the stigma of the evil "C" word, but here we go.

    Open source, and the volunteer way in which it is done, is basically the utopian communism that the Soviet Union, China, Cuba, etc. were striving to get to, but fucked up.

    Real communism is not people being forced to be "equal". It is the unselfish sharing of everything, and volunteering your time and effort for the greater good.

    Now, people can't seem to share their physical goods, but on the Internet it seems that some people are willing to share virtual goods. When it doesn't really hurt you to give your neighbor a hand, it seems that people are willing to do it.

    Of course, there are those like the RIAA and the MPAA, that are completely against it, but most Slashdotters seem to be for it.

    So maybe Bill Gates is right, and Linux is communist?

    Well, if you take away the prejudice against the "C" word caused by decades of propoganda, maybe thats actually a Good Thing?