burngreave.net

Developing Community IT tools
Home   ::    E-mail    ::    FAQ    ::   Projects  :: Contact
Burngreave News  Indymedia Community Networks

Navigation

  • recent posts
  • news aggregator

Browse archives

« October 2008  
Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa
      1 2 3 4
5 6 7 8 9 10 11
12 13 14 15 16 17 18
19 20 21 22 23 24 25
26 27 28 29 30 31  

Syndicate

XML feed
Home » blogs » aland's blog

Open Source and the State

Came across This on a mailing list

The original article crap! But even so ..

The arguments seem to lead up to its final statement
 
> > demonstrate quite clearly that the promotion of open-source software
> > cannot be an economically justifiable role for the state.

 
But there are probably a number of fallacious steps involved.  I guess you
could use the similar arguments against public sector broadcasting, of course
we should get rid of the BBC as it distorts the whole UK broadcasting economy.
 
It seems to paint all OSS with the gnu brush, where MS themselves make use of
OSS in their 'Services for Unix' product.  
 
Much software is a becoming utility.  I don't really care if I'm using MS
word, OOffice or some java web applet service to type a letter, as long it
looks mostly OK at the end of the day.  For example, the fact that I can
insert maps into MS excel, a function so rarely used it adds no value to my
usage of the product, and its so limply implemented that anybody who needed
that sort of functionality would have to purchase a better solution, why not
go with the unix philosophy of simple tools for simple task.
 
There must be many arguments for the state providing bread and butter
solutions to lifes needs, with those who wish fancier stuff can buy bespoke.  
Pensions, Health Care, Social security, Housing, Communications, Policing.  Of
course software is at the bourgois end of the hierarchy of needs :-)
 
Perhaps the other historical technological changes where the state has
intervened could help to add perspective.  Toll roads, Sewerage, and
Broadcasting spring to mind.

By aland at 2004-01-15 01:33 | Employment | Internet | Open Source | Politics | aland's blog | login to post comments
Any Articles on this site are copylefted Copyright (c) 2003 Burngreave IT Partnership. Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts. A copy of the license is included in the section entitled "GNU Free Documentation License".

User login



  • Request new password

burngreave.net projects

The burngreave.net  umbrella covers a number of different projects.

  1. Community Area Network
  2. Cafe: - Volunteer PC support for the community at the PC Fixit  Cafe.
  3. Community Radio
  4. BITWork  :- IT consultancy services / workers co-operative
  5. Community ISP services, hosting web sites and email for a number of organisations and bodies.

Burngreave Community Web Sites

Burngreave Community Radio
IRC chat channel
Social Enterprise Community Library
Burngreave Learning Campaign
Burngreave Messenger
New Deal for Communities
Community Area Network

Recent blog posts

  • TLI National Road Race 2008
  • Debunking the deniers
  • The most terrifying video you'll ever see
  • chesterfield to Sheffield via beeley
  • Web 2.0 Privacy and Control - Who has your data ?
  • death threat
  • OLSR and Freifunk use in Burngreave Community Area Network, Sheffield
  • Converting to RAID 1
  • Ideas for treating music
  • backup script
more

Top 20 files

fileverdls
1.BitPartFSfro...11877
2.BurngreaveIn...v0.31793
3.bitpartrepor...1.01474
4.FOABFPARK250...11401
5.All people a...Word 20001317
6.Social2.xls21315
7.Spital-Hill-...11313
8.BurngreaveIn...0.21228
9.BurngreaveIn...0.11212
10.radionetwork...11153
11.SEBplan16-5-...11124
12.CINrifvs1.doc11093
13.Socialfirmri...11037
14.TSCFlyer.doc1983
15.ITSupportEnt...3978
16.Socialfirmri...2967
17.Lindholme Ap...01465
18.italy.png1398
19.NIS_Options_...1131