From eda95d728a7b9b27dfa4ece0ca9da134a0ff8e83 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: josh-59
Date: Sun, 12 Nov 2023 10:52:20 -0600
Subject: [PATCH] November 12, 2023
---
generalizing-open-source.html | 58 +++++++++++++++--------------------
1 file changed, 24 insertions(+), 34 deletions(-)
diff --git a/generalizing-open-source.html b/generalizing-open-source.html
index 2e44b27..e1e7a3d 100644
--- a/generalizing-open-source.html
+++ b/generalizing-open-source.html
@@ -1,15 +1,11 @@
---
layout: default
-title: "BONUS: Generalizing Open Source"
+title: "Generalizing Open Source"
last-updated: May 2023
---
@@ -104,13 +95,9 @@
-
BONUS: Generalizing Open Source
+
Generalizing Open Source
- As Steven Weber noted in The Success of Open Source,
- open-source is as much a new and novel way of producing things
- as it is a collection of software.
- In this bonus material, I explore one possible method of
- generalizing its modus operandi to non-software goods.
+ Open source has successfully built a suite of software
@@ -141,8 +128,8 @@ Gift Economies
- Gift economies are an adaptation to abundance, rather than
- scarcity.[1]
+ Whereas capitalism is an adaptation to scarcity, gift economies are an
+ adaptation to abundance.
The question is, can we generalize the open source way,
and if so, how?
@@ -150,7 +137,7 @@ Gift Economies
Aside:
- This is merely a business whose structure supports volunteerism.
+ The nonprofit is merely a business whose structure supports volunteerism.
@@ -162,7 +149,7 @@ Aside:
It's just that few bother to formally announce it.
Second, a nonprofit with an amenable purpose is a natural target
for volunteer efforts, both commercial and private.
- Such non-paying efforts are the backbone of open-source.
+ Such non-paying efforts are the backbone of the open-source ecosystem.
Third, a collection of nonprofits is realizable within
America today—
In fact, it is not too far removed from the current
@@ -171,27 +158,18 @@ Aside:
Reality Check
-
-
Aside:
-
-
- Transition, not revolution.
-
-
-
For the foreseeable future, any project must be financially solvent
to be viable, long-term.
That is to say, our goal is to prosper within the
- status quo— the capitalist / market economy— and not to
- "revolutionize" anything.
+ status quo— the capitalist / market economy— and thereby
+ prove ourselves superior.
Open source has flourished in the hostile context of the market
economy because copying software is very inexpensive.
- Copying software costs essentially nothing, so that
- the goods produced can be— and are— given away gratis.
+ Copying software costs essentially nothing, enabling coders to give
@@ -200,6 +178,11 @@
Aside:
have to be financially solvent.
+
+ Pay what you can?
+ *Franchises* -> Sprawling cities, accessible by bicycle.
+
+
See Also:
+
Many Small- / Medium-Sized Projects
@@ -229,6 +213,11 @@ Aside:
a nonprofit doing so.
+
+
+ A cacophony of projects that somehow work together to produce a useable
+ operating system.
+
The second reason to prefer small projects
@@ -554,6 +543,7 @@
Why?
+
FAQ