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| Joined: | Mon Nov 21st, 2005 |
| Location: | California USA |
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Open source software has spread far beyond Linux and is gaining enormous momentum, according to a newly released IDC study.
For anyone who is not familiar with 'Open Source':
Investments of time and energy are motivated by a personal need to accomplish something valuable without expecting an immediate monetary return.
In other words: Open source is the opposite of Capitalism.
Open source is not the enemy of Capitalism.
Open source is: investments of time and energy motivated by a personal need to accomplish something valuable without expecting an immediate monetary return.
Example:
The entire database of the worlds current research and development on the cure for Breast Cancer is published on a web site.
Anyone can access that web site and add to or subtract from the current research and development on the cure for Breast Cancer.
What that means is: No company can capitalize on the cure for cancer when the cure for cancer is found and published on the web site unless the cure for cancer is not published on the web site when the cure for cancer is found.
In other words: The cure for cancer, once found, will be kept secret until a limited liability company of capitalists can profit from the cure for cancer.
Open source is the opposite of that scenario.
A person could access the cure for cancer open source web page and make the cure for cancer him or herself if the cure for cancer is developed as an Open Source.
Example two:
Linux software is open source:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&sa=X&oi=spell&resnum=0&ct=result&cd=1&q=Linux+software&spell=1
Anyone can download the secret code for Linux software and improve the code for Linux software. If the person who does improve the Linux software improves the software in a BIG WAY, then, that person will be credited with having improved the Linux software in a BIG WAY and, in addition to that credit, that person can use the improved Linux software that he improved along with everyone else who can use the improved linux software.
Confusing?
Last edited on Sun Aug 20th, 2006 03:14 pm by Joe Kelley