mdst_110 / 2007_fall / week_11


old school networks: in 1969, arpanet included nodes at stanford, ucla, ucsb and utah



agenda

keywords

adam smith's the theory of moral sentiments and an inquiry into the nature and causes of the wealth of nations ; babel objection; bill gates; commons-based peer production; compiler; computer; copyleft; crookedtimber; debian; debugger; egalitarianism; enhanced autonomy; free software and proprietary software; GNU; GNU General Public License; karl marx; kernel; linus torvalds; linux; market economy; mercantilism; microsoft; networked information economy; object code and source code; open source; operating system; red hat; richard stallman; UNIX and BSD


questions from lecture

1. do you think that the babel objection, the theory that if everyone can speak, then no one can be heard, really impacts the innovations made possible by web 2.0?
2. siva mentioned similarities between computer programming and other hobbies, such as mechanical car work. what are some of these similarities and do you find them to be significant?

questions from revolution os (2001)

1. what do you think about bill gates's 1976 "open letter to hobbyists"? do you agree with his sense that revenue is a necessary motivator for software production?
2. what problems/issues do you forsee arising with the growing popularity of gnu, linux, and other networked based programs?
3. what is copyleft?
4. many say that this non-proprietary model of open source should not survive under normal economic conditions, but it survived anyway. why did gnu manage to thrive with a free software model?
5. how is the gpl enforced? Someone could use the source code for proprietary needs and make the source code unavailable to the public and none would be the wiser.
6. does the development of live operating system updates for proprietary systems (such as microsoft’s windows) over the internet nullify the advantages of a constantly updated open source (like linux)?
7. why do you think open source software like linux is not more commonly used by the common public?
8. will open source software ever replace proprietary software? if so, what would have to happen? if not, what is factors are preventing this from occurring?

questions from readings

yochai benkler, the wealth of networks [chapter 1 and chapter 3]

1. when you go in search of information, do you depend more on the "networked information economy" or the "industrial information economy?
2. how significantly will non-proprietary models of information distribution impact human development? does such a shift augur marginal, moderate, or major improvements?
3. re: the era of network culture, benkler claims that "in addition to strengthening our strong bonds, we are also increasing the range and diversity of weaker connections" (15). Would you agree?
4. what are the two "moves" or "shifts" desribed by benkler in chapter one that are essential for the development of the networked information economy?
5. do you think benkler's theories in the wealth of networks support or negate adam smith's theories in the wealth of nations? explain the flaws that benkler points out in adam smith's arguments. can you come up with some flaws/counterarguments to benkler's own arguments?
6. do you think this free / open source ideology of having people collaborate to create something via the internet can be applied in to other areas besides things dealing with programming or developing something within the internet?

yochai benkler and christian ahlert, "mining the wealth of networks with yochai benkler"

1. what is "commons-based peer production"? what are "non-monetary incentives"?
2. how does commons-based peer production relate to or differ from anderson's notions in the long tail?
3. what are the constraints of commons-based peer production?
4. how significantly will commons-based peer production change the face of culture in the coming years? is this just a fad, or is it a mode that is here to stay?
5. in terms of your own studies and future career plans, are you driven more strongly by monetary or non-monetary incentives?

miscellaneous questions

1. how do you think the internet will change/evolve with the growing popularity of a networked information economy?
2. is it really possible for the film industry to change itself into shooting films on a smaller scale and be commons based, considering its current state?