| I am sure by now that we have all seen the faux | | | | In this sense, it is the true heir to the revolution! If |
| poster with the Microsoft representation dressed in | | | | you have not made the logical extension, let me |
| authoritative looking garb, looking over the shoulder | | | | make the step for you. The American founding |
| of the programmer, with all the communist | | | | fathers, were working "open source". They planned |
| symbolism, and these words "If you program open | | | | together, for the common good, wrote the |
| source you are programming communist" or | | | | documents, and implemented the strategies that |
| something to that effect. It sure got a laugh out of | | | | eventually lead to our independence from England, at |
| me! It was far enough away from the truth that it | | | | their own expense, and at tremendous risk to |
| could be funny, even to a child of the cold war. The | | | | themselves! |
| truth is, that "open source" thinking, is actually the | | | | It is, in short, people working together for a common |
| total antithesis of communism, even more so than | | | | goal, of their own free will, with no promise of any |
| good old God Fearing capitalism. I am a firm believer | | | | gain except in the satisfaction of doing it. In this way, |
| in capitalism and its power to create wealth and solve | | | | it actually resembles a non profit charity. The |
| problems, even environmental problems, if the green | | | | independent competition that this provides, drives the |
| movement ever catches on and caches in. We are all | | | | corporate powers to stay on their feet, and stay up |
| in at least some way, motivated by money, and it is | | | | late at night to find new and better ways to provide |
| that motivation, when channeled in the right direction, | | | | products and services that people will pay for. It is |
| which will eventually lower greenhouse gas emissions, | | | | one of capitalism's great balances. The internet itself |
| and provide more earth friendly businesses. | | | | is one of those balancing mechanisms. It is only with |
| My point in mentioning this is that open source is the | | | | the dissemination of information from all sides of any |
| opposite of communism, because it is the proof that | | | | issue, that people are able to make truly informed |
| capitalism works. It can only work in a society that | | | | decisions, and the internet is the greatest single leap |
| has created enough wealth, to provide the free time, | | | | forward in that area since the invention of the |
| education, and resources to the numbers of people | | | | printing press. Free speech, freedom of expression, |
| who work on these projects, who cooperate willingly | | | | and free, open movement of information, these are |
| with no coercion, and most of whom will eventually | | | | the hallmarks of a free society, and that is something |
| gain some form of remuneration as a direct or | | | | that is good for everyone, whether they like it or |
| indirect result. This could not happen in forced sharing. | | | | not! |