On Tuesday 2004-12-28 01:44, der.hans wrote:
> > Free:
> >
> > Free, as in beer. Gratis.
> > Free, as in freedom. Libere.
> > Free, as in freeway. Free infrastructure, contrast with toll road.
>
> Not sure what you're implying here. Do you mean "free to use" formats? Or
> is that part of what you're saying?
>
> > Economically, the most important of these is "Free as in freeway".
Free Infrastructure Software (FIS)
Comodified, Stardardized, Free Infrastructure Software (CSFIS)
---
I am not focusing exclusively on data formats, though you are correct that the
emphasis is on gratis, universal usufruct. So the emphasis is *slightly*
different from simply gratisware, free beer (and who cares if I get the
source code.)
Economists distinguish between several kinds of "free" beyond liberty.
There is gratis, free as in beer. (Usually an economist assumes some ulterior
motive on the part of one who provides a good "gratis". Either it is a
loss-leader or a way to convert economic wealth into political power by
creating a patron-client relationship.)
There is free as in free-good (or common good). The classic examples are fish
stocks, free pastures, air, or rain, or sunlight. Note that these "common"
goods are available with no invested cost and no charge for usufruct. They
are either regarded as not having owners _per se_ or as owned in common by a
community (as in, "the village commons").
Then there is free infrastructure. With free infrastructure costs may be
bourn by individuals (as in an historical easement on ones property,
amounting to a tax) philanthropists or charitable organizations (as in
donations of facilities for an orphanage, poorhouse, or museum), or the
commonwealth (usually in the form of public utilities or services like
government funded grammar schools or, above all, free government funded roads
[where "free" means that there is no toll; that is, free usufruct]).
----
At the last Plug Development meeting (that I believe you, O Hans, attended)
some of us were talking about the SCO lawsuits and the general agreement that
it was just SCO making a lame, last effort to avoid bankruptcy and not much
would come of it. Then we talked about Microsoft and intellectual property.
There was general agreement that IP challenges to FOSS from Microsoft should
be taken seriously.
It was generally agreed that it might be hard to wage a legal battle against a
concerted MS challenge aimed at gutting GNU/Linux or other critical FOSS
tools (notable Mozilla or OO.o). Of course, it was then noted that FOSS had
become indispensable in commodity-level servers in all sorts of sectors, and
that this dependence was increasing in the commodity-server niche and
spreading (slowly) to mainframes and desktops.
MUCH more important, however, was GNU/Linux in the small: in data appliances
and embedded systems. Most instances of Linux are stripped-down, customized
versions residing in firm-ware running smart toasters. NATO armed forces,
GE, GM, and above all WalMart are now, or soon will be, completely and
utterly dependent on open access to Linux at little or no cost. In one sense
this was regarded as good. If Walmart's POS and JIT inventory have integral
Linux compontents, and a (relatively) tiny little company like Microsoft
makes a move to deprive Walmart of continued access to Walmart's critical
infrastructure at a predictable and affordable price, then Walmart will
squish Microsoft in court.
Notice, however, that Linux is growing fastest as in embedded systems that
users are seldom aware of--like smart microwave ovens. Someone has to spend
resources to create the software--in the jargon of economists Linux is NOT a
free-good (like sunshine). However, industry can use (most) FOSS at no cost
and use it as they see fit (including hacking source code). FOSS therefore
meets an economist's technical definition of "free infrastructure" (no matter
how one feels about no-toll superhighways.)
Thus, from the standpoint of industry, gratisware is not at issue, though a
lower the initial price point for anything is desirable. Libertyware is not
at issue, industry does fine without liberty--just look at the PRC. What is
critical is that some kinds of software (operating systems, office suites)
have become critical and ubiquitous. It is *VERY* desirable from both
microeconomic and macroeconomic perspectives that widely deployed, horizontal
software applications become affordable, commodified, standardized, and (if
at all possible) become free infrastructure.
At this point we can address Bill Lindley's concern that superhighways are not
free (either investors or taxpayers have to foot the initial bill), and that
they produce significant diseconomies ('economic bads', if you will).
Notably, superhighways adversely effect urban quality of life, degrade air
quality, and (for better or worse) have positive feedback loops with auto
manufacture and suburbanization. Moreover, superhighways are not "fair"
government investments. They effectively subsidize trucking companies, land
speculators, and wealthy exurbanites.
Lindley says that FOSS should not be compared to superhighways. He explains
why superhighways are bad, but does not tell us why not to compare FOSS to
them. Let us infer that the comparison insults FOSS because, unlike
superhighways, FOSS has no *direct* effect on the environment, involves
relatively little direct government funding (cough, cough), and many expect
FOSS to be class friendly by lowering the cost of computing so much that it
will blur or erase any digital divide.
My understanding of the term "superhighway", however, does not include just
freeways (like Interstate-10) but also toll roads and turnpikes (like the New
Jersey Turnpike). The reader will note that I am ONLY likening freeways to
FOSS because both belong to a formal economic category: free infrastructure.
Beyond that, the reader will note that the PLUG Development discussion
expected the big winners from the growth of FOSS available as commodified,
standardized, free infrastructure were not the digitally disenfranchised, but
huge established companies like GE, GM, and Walmart. Perhaps, freeways and
Linux will be more alike than we thought. Since no good deed goes
unpunished, Linus Torvalds will get his unjust desserts.
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