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Open Economies - RE: [OpenEconomies] The role of software in bridging the Digital Divide

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RE: [OpenEconomies] The role of software in bridging the Digital Divide

  • To: <openeconomies(at)cyber.law.harvard.edu>
  • Subject: RE: [OpenEconomies] The role of software in bridging the Digital Divide
  • From: "Elliot Noss" <enoss(at)tucows.com>
  • Date: Tue, 15 Jan 2002 14:10:25 -0500
  • Importance: Normal
  • In-reply-to: <v0300780bb8690b5c45dc@[10.0.1.2]>
Interesting, but I would replace "fame and reputation replaces money in the
commmunity" with the benefit of giving and providing value to others
replaces money in the commmunity. To me, it is simply a real-world
manifestation of "it is better to give than receive" and open source
communities are environments where this can truly take root and thrive.

We (Tucows) have a large vibrant community built around a wholesale domain
registration business with open source client code so I have had the luxury
and pleasure of watching this "petrie dish" for the last two years. Our
community has thousands of members in over 100 countries around the world. I
never cease to be amazed by the time and effort people will expend in a
community where these actions are seen as virtuous and appropriate. It is
especially powerful to watch someone go from newbie being helped to mentor
for others.

The challenge in a digital divide context strikes me not as whether this
would be effective, but rather how to best frame a "community". This is art
not science, has some general guidelines, but is extremely difficult and is
much like the wings of a butterfly (can fly with amazing grace, skill and
speed, but is wafer-thin and once ruptured cannot be repaired). Digital
divide issues cross so many lines, and community can never be an artificial
exercise.

I have no answers here, but thought I would try and reframe the issue.

Regards

Elliot Noss
Tucows inc.
416-538-5494

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Mikael Pawlo [mailto:mikael@pawlo.com]
> Sent: Monday, January 14, 2002 5:32 PM
> To: openeconomies@eon.law.harvard.edu
> Subject: Re: [OpenEconomies] The role of software in bridging the
> Digital Divide
>
>
> At 00.45 -0500 02-01-13, Karim R. Lakhani wrote:
> >I think the open source movement is showing just the opposite. People
> >will infact give IP away for free.  They engage in the creation of the
> >IP for many reasons, the cost to produce and distribute is very low to
> >almost zero. Traditional IP protections, theory and law were designed to
> >both spur discloure of the 'useful arts' and as an incentive to
> >innovate.
> (---)
>
> I haven't decided whether I agree with him or not, but in his latest book
> Manuel Castells investigate free software and open source. Castells argue
> that the movements are meritocracies, which is not a great surprise.
> However, he pushed the argument further, stating -very simplified- that
> fame and reputation replaces money in the commmunity. Milton
> Friedman would
> be happy to learn this and add another stone in the monument of the world
> with no free lunches. Anyway - there are still incentives in this
> environment, they are just not based on monetary ground. Perhaps
> this could
> be used in the fight against the digital divide - if the community would
> appreciate an effort to spread for example Linux in Africa.
>
> Regards
>
> Mikael
>
> _________________________________________________________________________
>
>   ICQ:35638414                              mailto:mikael@pawlo.com
>   +46-704-215825                              http://www.pawlo.com/
>
>
>
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